Desperately Pretending
by xXForevermoreXx
Summary: For a year, Pan has tried to push Trunks away from her in order to stop herself from loving him. However, when she gets a job at Capsule Corp, seeing him everyday is inevitable. No matter how much she desperately pretends to hate him, sparks will fly. TP
1. I Hate You

Chapter 1 - I Hate You

Pan was working her way out the door with her sweater only half on her body; the sleeve that hung down brushed the hardwood floor of her apartment. Her sock covered feet slid on the floors as she grabbed a bagel on the counter and rushed to the front door, quickly stopping to put on her shoes. She grabbed the handle of the door and was about to take off when all of a sudden, she collided into what felt like a wall. Groaning, she opened her eyes and right when she met the eyes of who was standing in her way, she scowled.

"What do you want, Trunks?"

He smirked and extended his hand out to her in attempt to help her up, but she swatted it away. He watched her brush herself off and still continued watching her as she carefully looked at her hands, looking for any sign of a splinter that she'd just felt seconds ago. "What are you up to today, Panny?" he asked in a casual tone, ignoring the scowl still on her face.

"That's none of your business," she replied, her eyes not wanting to meet his. She tried to close her front door but his foot stopped it from shutting. She gave him a glare and tried to push him out of the way but he grabbed her hands and refused to let go. "Leave me alone, I'm in a hurry!"

Trunks chuckled almost evilly but he held her hands almost in a careful way but at the same time with enough grip to keep her from snatching her hands back. "Now what ever happened to the sweet girl who used to love following me around?" he spoke in a playful tone.

"Trunks, stop!"

He then realized that she was in a skirt and suddenly, his heart sank a bit when it finally dawned to him that she might be going out again. "Are you going on a date?" When she stopped struggling and her face turned slightly red from embarrassment, he let go of her hands and knew it was true. Her eyes went straight to their feet. He tried to smile and he gave her sort of a small chuckle. "You could've just told me, you know."

Why did she have to feel guilty? It wasn't like she _had_ to tell him everything that went on in her life. Just because they used to be closer than they were now didn't mean she still had to explain anything. She tried to smile but couldn't. "It's just coffee." She didn't even know why she felt like she needed to say that.

"Do you have to go?"

She looked up at him questionably and he regretted saying those words. "What?"

He tried to laugh again. "Just kidding, Pan. Have fun, okay?" He felt like such an idiot at that moment. Gathering up all that's left of his pride, he patted her shoulder firmly and turned around to leave. He was stiff in his business suit, and he hoped that she'd just assume that it was just because of the new suit he bought and he wasn't quite used to it yet. The real reason was embarrassment.

"Trunks?" she spoke softly.

He felt her fingers grab the sleeve of his business suit and he stopped walking. Without turning around, he spoke, "I just wanted to drop by to tell you that your interview for the position in Capsule Corps. was successful and you got the job. Someone would've called you but I said I'd take care of it myself since we have family connections."

"Oh, thanks."

He turned around to face her this time. "Why didn't you tell me you were interested in getting a job? I found out only when I asked my secretary if there was anyone who applied for the job." When he saw her guilty expression, he had to look away. "You know what, forget it. I don't know why I try to regain what we had a year ago," he mumbled under his breath.

It was then that Pan snapped. Her eyes blurred from the tears that formed and was threatening to fall down her cheeks. She had made it seem like they'd just grown apart from each other, but in reality, she was the one that kept trying to distance herself and push him away. She couldn't handle secretly loving him. She tried to stop herself from falling in love with him but whenever he was around, it made it hard for her. She blinked back her tears and unexpectedly, she shoved him.

He quickly caught his fall and glared at her. "What the hell was that for?"

She had to lie in order to make him hate her. "Haven't you gotten the message? I'm tired of you, okay? You're always a jerk, you never treat me like an adult, and you're… you're just plain obnoxious!"

He was suddenly angry, as he walked closer to her, fuming. "Oh, _I'm _obnoxious? You're the one always acting like a little kid; its no wonder it seems like I treat you like one!"

She tried to push him back but he easily overpowered her. "I hate you so much, Trunks, I'd gladly give up my new job just so I don't have to see you everyday!"

He felt her nails dig into his hands and he had to let go. "If you didn't want to see me, why'd you even apply for the job anyway?"

She was lost for words. The only thing she could do to keep them busy and buy her more time to think of what to say was to continue hitting him. Trunks had gotten hold of her wrists this time and they continued wrestling each other. Pans' leg missed in attempt to kick him, and only succeeded in slamming the door shut. "I hate you so much," she repeated, clearly losing their wrestling match as she was being forced to step back in to her apartment, away from the door.

To her surprise, he let go. And she fell into his arms. He didn't say anything, and she hadn't noticed that she was still being held by him until her nose caught his scent. She'd missed that scent, but she forced herself to push him away from her. This time, he fell to the floor, but he'd grabbed her hands and she fell right on top of him.

"You're so immature, Pan," he spoke almost in an angry whisper, but Pan detected hurt in his voice. They were both panting from their fight, their bodies warming against each others quickly.

Pan pushed herself from the ground and detangled her legs from his. By doing so, she'd accidentally pressed her knee hard between his legs, and he winced and groaned, grabbing onto her shoulders hard. "Ow, you're hurting me!" she tried to nudge his hand away but his grip was tight.

"You just kneed my-"

Her elbows suddenly unlocked when he tried moving her away from him and their noses bumped against each others. "I…" Pan swallowed hard, forgetting to finish her sentence as her brown orbs stared right into his deep blue ones.

"Hate you too."

* * *

Well there you have it, guys! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating... It's been.. what, Years? I'm not really sure if I want to continue this, but I just had this urge to write. I hope I dont disappoint you guys... I know my writing is really rusty, but if I do decide I want to finish this story, my writing will probably improve along the way haha. I'm really curious to hear what you guys have to say about this start, so please review! It might convince me to keep writing :) But there are no promises lol..


	2. Wake Up

Chapter 2 - Wake Up

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The whole time she was on her date, she couldn't stop thinking about him. It completely ruined it for her and she felt horrible. She could probably be in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the worst date ever. Now Pan was walking back home, her eyes catching sight of the Capsule Corp. sign that blocked her path. Walking two steps to the left was a drag, as her body was surprisingly exhausted. Maybe she was just emotionally drained from trying to save the date. Or maybe – she just spotted the lavender haired CEO and before she could stop herself, she shouted, "It's all your fault!"

Trunks had just finished working and had opened the door of Capsule Corp. to leave for home when he heard her familiar voice. "Come again?"

There was no turning back now. "My date was ruined because of you, Trunks Briefs!"

He couldn't help but smile, not knowing exactly why his spirit was suddenly lifted, but he walked towards his house in amusement. "Well, Pan, I'm sorry that you're such an undesirable woman." He sensed her following him but his smile faded when she kicked his briefcase from behind. "Hey, careful, there's important stuff in here! Plus, you'll need to gain respect for me really soon. Don't forget, the moment you decided to work for Capsule Corps, you decided to work for _me_."

"I didn't _decide_ to work for a jerk like you; I just wanted a job to pay for rent. And for being such an undesirable woman, why do you keep trying to be friends with me?"

"Well who's following who now?"

Pan stopped in her tracks. He was right… "Fine, I'm going home."

Just before she hit the crosswalk button to cross the street, she heard Trunks mumble, "I guess you're not interested in your work schedule I happened to get for you on my way out?" It was like the papers magically appeared in his hands as he waved it above his head in the air, as if taunting her. He could actually _feel_ her seething and he had to hold back the urge to glance back at her just to see her expression.

She was following him again, a couple feet behind. "For someone who hates me, you're being awfully, and I mean this literally, nice to get that for me."

He laughed at her response. "I only got it because I know it'd make you even more annoyed." He turned around, walking backwards so he could catch her eyes with his. "And you know how much I _love_ watching you hate me." He turned again so that his back was to her, not allowing her to see his expression.

He sounded almost sarcastic? She wasn't sure. Pan used to be so good at knowing how Trunks felt back when they were close, but a year of distancing herself from him made her almost completely forget the cues he unknowingly gave off. She decided it was much safe not to reply to his remark. It seemed like whatever she said anything, Trunks always found a way to trap her in the corner and she'd have to silently admit that he was right.

She was eyeing him. She was glad he didn't have eyes at the back of his head, as he would clearly see that she was staring at him, almost drowning in his sight. Maybe she should just go home… But she really needed to get her schedule to find out when she'd be working. It was torture for her though, everything that was happening right at this moment. Being alone with him, going to his home…

Trunks didn't mind the silence between them. Though she didn't speak a word or make a sound – he'd expected her to sigh in exasperation a couple times; he knew that she was still following him. When they finally arrived, he reached in his pocket for the keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open with his foot. He took off his shoes and Pan followed suit. He threw his briefcase on the floor and shrugged his business suit off.

"So much for being careful with important stuff," Pan mumbled. She heard him chuckle and she watched as he collapsed on the coach, stretching his arms above his head. When he didn't look at her, she spoke, "Hey. Did you forget I was here? Give me my schedule so I can leave." Right when she said that, she just wanted to slap herself. She could've gotten the schedule from him when she walked by him instead of walking all the way to his house to get it… "Kami, Trunks, why didn't you just give it to me when you saw me?"

He didn't answer.

"Trunks!"

Still nothing.

She walked closer to him and realized that his eyes were closed. She rolled her eyes, knowing this was just some kind of trick; a trick he used to play on her all the time when they were close. She kicked his leg. "Wake up, I know you're not sleeping," she spoke in an annoyed tone. He didn't budge, and she sighed impatiently. "And you call _me_ immature!" she mumbled, crossing her arms and pouting.

Still though, she couldn't help but just look at his face, his closed eyes, his lips… It was probably her only chance to anyway, and she took advantage of it. It was then that she noticed his right eye lid slowly opening to see if she was still there. When he realized she was looking right at him, he quickly closed it and acted as if nothing happened.

"Trunks, I saw you, stupid."

He didn't answer.

"You're really annoying me right now!" But actually, she was enjoying this quite a bit. She missed messing around with him and pulling pranks on each other. She missed how cute he'd be while he acted like he was asleep around her. Today, she was going to let herself have fun. Today, she was going to remind him why he shouldn't mess with her.

Pan quickly left to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest bowl she could find in the cabinets. As quietly as she could, she filled the bowl with cold water, peeking at the living room to make sure his eyes were still closed. When the water finally reached the rim of the bowl, she turned the faucet off and carried it to the clueless man on the couch. "Wake up!" she screeched before dumping the bowl of water on him, and that was when he jumped up in panic, only to look right into the eyes of an amused girl. His eyes furrowed and he grabbed her and pushed her down onto the wet couch.

"I can't believe you just did that!" He didn't sound angry at all. In fact, he sounded happy. This was the first time in a long time since Pan had fun with him. He was laughing as he smothered her on his couch, not realizing how sexual his actions were at the moment.

Her eyes were closed shut, still surprised and a bit scared of how she just suddenly landed on the wet couch, the water seeping through the fabric of her clothes. When she realized he was laughing, she opened her eyes and she met his blue orbs staring right at her. His smile was still plastered on his face, but it slowly disappeared when his eyes trailed down to her lips. When the water from his hair dropped down to her nose, she blinked. Trunks was suddenly aware of the position that he was in; his legs between hers, his hands on her wrists, pinning them down just slightly above her head. And her lips… They looked so red, so soft, so kissable. He couldn't help but glance down to her lips again.

"Trunks, get off, my clothes are wet and I feel uncomfortable," she spoke quietly, her voice almost scared sounding. She hated herself at the moment. She wished she never loosened up with him. It was getting hard for her to stop looking at his eyes and falling deep within them.

"Then take them off." Damn, he really needed to keep his mouth shut. Trunks nervously cleared his throat. "I mean, I'll let you borrow a shirt if you'd like."

"Trunks, stop it, you hate me too, remember?" her eyes looked almost pleading and so did the sound of her voice.

He finally snapped out of his sudden attraction towards Pan. How did that even happen? She was always just his friend, but his body was telling himself otherwise. He got up from the couch, releasing his hold on her. "Duh, that's why I'm giving you an ugly one." That was the best he could think of to say. And that was that. He left her laying there as he went upstairs to his bedroom, taking his time to sort out his thoughts.

When he finally came down, a shirt in his hand, the couch was empty and Pan was nowhere to be seen. His briefcase was open and there were stacks of his papers on the desk. Pan's work schedule was nowhere to be found. He noticed her shoes were gone too and part of him felt relieved that she left. There was tension between the two. He wasn't sure whether it was just the tension of "hating her" or sexual tension, but he knew she could feel it too. But… there was a part of him that longed for her. He wanted her to be near him. He was almost desperate for it.

And just when he realized what he was thinking, he made a fist with his hand and slammed his forearm to the wall, later resting his forehead on it, burying his face in his wet business shirt.

"Wake up, Trunks," he whispered silently to himself.

* * *

A/N: Alright, I wrote this around 3 A.M because I felt inspired :) I hope you guys enjoy it! Fast update, huh? Unusual of me :D


	3. Coffee and Markers

Chapter 3 – Coffee and Marking their Lives

* * *

_I hate him so much, I hate him so much!_ Pan was in the elevator in Capsule Corps. holding a piece of paper that was her schedule in her hands. She wanted to just rip it in half so bad… She thought she could work down at the lobby so she wouldn't have to see the CEO while she worked, but it turned out that apparently, the CEO himself saw potential in her resume and wanted to train her himself. She realized that her hands were shaking and she cursed under her breath. When the elevator finally stopped at the top floor, she held in a breath and walked down the hallway, her eyes looking right at the engraved gold sign on a door that read 'Mr. _Trunks Briefs'._

It was now or never. She brought her hand out to the door and was about to knock but the door suddenly opened and there he was. For a moment, they just looked into each others' eyes, speechless. Pan was gripping the paper she had in her hands incredibly hard, her mouth slightly open to speak. "Trunks," she started, but was interrupted when a door shut behind her and a very attractive woman stood there holding a clipboard in her hand.

"That's Mr. Briefs to you," she corrected her, almost callously. Her eyes then directed to the CEO. "Mr Briefs, I'd gladly train her for you if you'd like."

Pan looked up at him, feeling her face grow hot as she waited for his response. When he quickly glanced at her, then to the other woman, he just smiled.

"Thanks, Clarisse, but I think I can handle it myself."

The woman gave him a polite nod and without even looking at Pan again, she left, her high heels clicking on the ground with every step she took. It took a while before she disappeared around a corner and when she was finally gone, Pan looked to her feet.

"Mr. Briefs," she spoke distastefully. "Why am I-"

"So Ms. Son," he interrupted her, walking back into his office and looking very business-like. "I see you found your schedule yesterday. And you even made your way to my office without getting lost." He sat down in his leather chair and rested his arms on the large mahogany desk in front of him. "Well, congratulations, Pan. Welcome to Capsule Corp. I'd like to start off you off with some filing over there," he pointed to the side of the room where another desk was, piled with stacks of papers. "And when you're finished, you can-"

"Why are you doing this?"

His eyebrows rose innocently. "Well you _do_ work for me and I expect you to-"

"You know what I mean." She was standing in the middle of his room but refused to step further in. "I was going to be trained by Mr. Moore like the interviewer said, but you changed it so now I'm stuck with you." Their eyes locked and she could feel her heart racing. She hoped that he couldn't hear it too. When he didn't even answer her, she had to look away. "Are you even listening, Trunks? I said-"

"'Mr. Briefs'."

She looked confused.

"When you're here, Ms. Son, I expect you to work, not complain. You'll also be expected to address me formally; we're doing business here, not hanging out, not partying, nothing but business."

"Seriously, Trunks, I-"

"And if you don't abide by the rules, maybe you're not cut out to work for Capsule Corps. after all."

He actually threatened her. Pan couldn't believe it. Never once in her life had he ever threatened her. She bit her tongue, resisting the urge to go up to him and yell how much she hated him. Instead, she spoke, "How long will I have to be trained, Mr. Briefs?" She crossed her fingers, hoping it wouldn't be long. She could feel her stomach turn when she noticed in the corner of her eyes, that he was coming towards her. She didn't know why, but she started backing away, until she was against the wall by the open door of his office. He was very close to her now and she could feel his breath on her forehead.

"Not too long," he spoke softly, in a husky tone. He closed the door slowly, watching as Pan fidgeted in her spot. The door clicked shut and he almost smirked when he saw her fists tighten beside her. He tried not to stare at her lips that were curved down to a frown. "You don't have to be so nervous when you're around me. We're friends, right?"

She pushed him away from her and walked to the desk with stacks of papers. "I'm not, and we're not," she spoke coldly. She knew it was a risk not respecting him at the moment but she couldn't help herself. Besides, would he really fire her? She didn't think so. "You're sick, you know that?"

He almost laughed, walking back to his desk. "Excuse me?" When she didn't answer, he just sat back on his leather chair and smiled at the hard working girl. Once he realized he was staring, he shook his head and grabbed his pen, getting back to work. He was losing it again. It was risky; trying to get close to her just so they can be friends like they were before, but he really missed her. It was something he was going to do, no matter what. Once his mind was set on something, there was no turning back. _Besides_, he thought, _if along the way I happen to capture a kiss…_ He sighed and dropped his pen. What was he thinking? He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming.

"Did you screw up?"

_No, but I'd like to screw you._ Damn it, he was doing it again. He was probably just tired. He picked up his pen again and without looking up, he spoke, "Ms. Son, please get me some coffee." Surprisingly, she didn't argue. He'd gone through two assignments by the time she came back, closing the door behind her. He didn't dare look up at her, not wanting to think of her sexually.

When she brought the cup of coffee to him, he extended his hand out to grab it at the same time signing a piece of paper. However, while he was trying not to look at her, she was doing the same and he didn't realize that he missed the cup handle, instead, knocking the cup towards her and spilling the hot beverage on her hand. Pan gasped and naturally let go of the cup, causing it to spill on the carpet.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" he instantly got up and grabbed her hand inspecting it, concern plastered on his face.

"I'm fine," she tried to sound angry. "Let me go get ano-" She gasped when he pulled her closer, bumping their bodies together lightly. He stepped aside and led her to his leather chair while he opened the bottom drawer of his desk. He pulled out a capsule and once it was opened, an ice pack appeared. She wondered what other capsules he had in there.

"Here, put this on," he ordered gently, grabbing a towel from the drawer and trying to soak it in the coffee spilled carpet.

While he put weight on the towel, pressing it firmly on the ground, Pan watched him from behind and before she could stop herself, she said, "Trunks, let me do it." He stopped without turning around to look at her, and she realized how nice she sounded. She cleared her throat. "I mean, you're making me look bad! If someone comes in here, they'll think I'm ordering you around!" She pushed herself off of the chair and got on her knees, grabbing the towel from him and wiping away the coffee herself.

He dismissed the fact that she called him by his first name instead of the required formalities and gave her a small smile. When she was finished, she handed him the towel and he took it, purposely grabbing her hand too. She quickly pulled away.

"I'm going to get some more coffee." She was surprised she said it smoothly, but when he grabbed her hand again, her breath caught in her throat.

"Is your hand okay?"

"Yeah, Trunks, I'm fine, I'm not a wimp you know."

To his disappointment, Pan walked out of his office. He got up from the floor and sat on his chair and right when he was about to continue his work, Pan came back to deposit the coffee, then rush back to her desk, quickly getting back to work as if nothing happened. She had brought several cups so that she wouldn't have risk him asking for a refill and she'd have to come back to his desk, which was pretty smart of her, he had to admit. But it seemed like with every sip he took, the more he wanted to taste her lips and touch every part of her body. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought she drugged the coffee so that his attraction for her would grow stronger. But that was ridiculous – she'd been pushing him away. Too bad he wasn't going to let that happen. Right now, he just wanted to ravish her right on his desk.

She was doing a fantastic job stacking the folders up high so that he couldn't see her from where he was. And it was getting on his nerves. He noticed it was getting dark. Maybe that was why the testosterone in him was building up. It's been a while since he had company in bed. Trunks took a moment to glance at the stack of folders where Pan was behind. He could hear her shuffling papers around and occasionally saw her elbow peeking from behind them. His eyes shifted to the clock above the door: _9:28_. Most of the employees had probably gone home by now, which meant he was basically alone with her.

"Are you finished with the filing?" he asked, his eyes on the desk she was at.

"There's so much, I'm not even halfway done," she spoke with distaste.

"I still have coffee if you need it." He wanted her to want it. He wanted to see her lips touch his cup, the area where he drank from. He wasn't sure how long he could handle not making a move at her, but he needed distraction, quick.

"Nope," she said simply, as if mocking him.

It was quiet for a while, the only noises were coming from paper shuffling and Trunks' pen tapping the desk. It was driving her insane.

"Can you be any more annoying?"

He smiled. Finally. Entertainment. He continued to tap the pen on the desk, pretending not to hear her. When he heard her sigh, he knew she'd just about had it. She stomped her way to his desk and snatched the pen out of his hands, and he looked up at her, just waiting for the fun to begin.

"Seriously, you're getting on my nerves! Maybe this is why you still don't have a girlfriend, or even a one night stand for that matter!"

He was not expecting that. The slight smile he had earlier quickly turned to a scowl, and he got up from his chair, grabbing the pen back roughly. "What did you just say?"

She didn't back down. Her pride wouldn't let her. "You heard me, Mr. Briefs," she continued, glaring at him. "You may have had girlfriends in the past, but word probably got out that you're horrible in bed, and _that's_ why you don't have one now!"

It wasn't fun anymore. He threw the pen on his desk and walked closer to her, anger filled his blue dark eyes that seemed almost wolf-like from the light of the moon that showed through the blinds. "Say that again," he threatened, his face so close to her now that she could feel his breath on her face. He could feel hers on his face too.

"You, Mr. CEO," her voice was quiet, but firm. "Are horrible in bed."

That was all he needed to hear before he crushed his lips to hers, pulling her to him, his hands gripping her body firmly. He wanted to make her cry out his name. He wanted to show her what he could do to her body and prove that he was _far_ from being horrible in bed.

Her hands found his chest and she pushed herself from him but he was holding on to her so tightly that her actions only succeeded in separating their lips from each other. "Trunks," she gasped, still pressing hard against his chest. "What are you-" She was cut off when she felt him ravish her neck, his tongue making small circles on her flesh, his breath tickling her skin. She unwillingly let out a moan then and he smirked against her. And then she stepped hard on his toes and he winced, letting go of her.

"What the hell was that for?"

Pan let out a half-laugh. "_I_ should be the one asking _you_ that!"

"Tell me you didn't _love_ what I did to you, and I'll stop." He noticed she brought her hand up, probably to slap him but he caught it in time and pulled her to him again. With his free hand, he gently caressed her cheek and Pan closed her eyes, secretly loving the way he was touching her. She was fighting the urge to kiss him, but every fiber of her being was being pulled to him like a magnet. It was like she needed this. "I'm going to make you regret what you said, Ms. Son," he whispered, his lips gently touching her cheek.

Something about his threat partially scared her but it also turned her on. Badly.

"Close your eyes." He let go of the hand he was holding and his other hand fell down to her hips, his thumb sliding underneath her shirt.

She felt something cold on her cheek and then he kissed her lips again, gently this time. Then on her other cheek, she felt the same coldness, and when she opened her eyes, she caught the sight of his playful looking blue orbs. Wait… Playful? He was laughing, removing his hands from Pans' body in order to hold his stomach while he laughed even harder. His face was turning slightly red and his eyes were almost tearing up.

It was then that she realized he was holding a black washable marker, and from the reflection of the window beside her, she understood why he was laughing. He had drawn 2 whiskers on either side of her face while he'd kissed her earlier. She was fuming. She wiped off the black whiskers with her sleeve, leaving in a stain but she didn't care at the moment. And then she did the unthinkable. Her hands found their way to Trunks' business suit and her lips came in contact with his again in a kiss he never expected from her.

When she broke the kiss, he didn't start laughing again. Her breath was on his lips and noticing her mouth opening slightly as if to speak and her confused brown eyes looking right up at him, he leaned forward and caught her bottom lip. Their eyes closed and he could feel her trembling, even in his mouth. His hands found their way to her waist and he felt her grip on his suit loosen up. She pulled back again.

He seemed angry again as he pulled her body to his, none to gently. It was like he was drunk, except instead of alcohol in his breath, she could smell a hint of coffee. He captured her lips with his almost forcefully. When he felt her body resisting, he forced himself to step back. Their eyes met but they couldn't say anything. They couldn't rewind and start over, properly arguing, not solving it sexually. "Go home," he whispered, his eyes planted on the ground.

Her heart was still racing, and their breathing still fast paced. "I hate you, Trunks." Her vision was blurring from the tears that were forcing their way out, though she didn't know why.

"Good. Then leave." His voice was cold and it hurt her, but she couldn't move.

"Thank goodness for that," she spat harshly.

He was confused. "What are you saying?"

She didn't know why she was bringing it up again, but she had to yell at him for something. She wanted to yell at him for making her like this. She'd been strong, resisting all temptations that came her way when she was with him, but he ruined it all for her. "It's not surprising you don't have a girlfriend now because your kiss was disgusting and-" She found herself inches from him again and she forgot what she was even saying.

He didn't know why, but the more Pan tried to resist from him, the more he wanted her. And the more insults she threw at him, the more he wanted to prove her wrong. "Kami, Pan, don't make me do this to you."

"Afraid to show me what you've got?" she found herself whispering.

His lips pressed against hers and this time, they didn't stop to think.

* * *

A/N: Long chapter huh? Haha alright, I'd like to know what you guys think! Please review!


	4. Leaving You

Leaving You

* * *

Her body was trembling, either from exhaustion or the fact that she was crying - hard. Her fingers were still on the edge of his desk from their previous strenuous actions, the paper-cuts on the side of her palm stinging with pain but she didn't really focus on that pain because of the throbbing between her legs that was dripping wet. His arms were snaked around her waist, his head down. Neither looked into each others eyes, both ashamed of what they'd just done. This shouldn't have happened, they knew.

They were both breathing hard, but Pans' were covered by her soft sobs.

"Pan," he whispered, attempting to figure out what to say as his fingers slid off her waist to rest on the desk beside her hands. When he didn't hear a response from her, he bumped his forehead gently against hers and said her name again.

This time, she pushed him away from her, her head still down and her sobs still evident. "Just go." Her voice was soft and it was hard to hear because she had choked from crying. Her hands then went down to adjust her underwear that had just been pushed to the side by him earlier, then brushed her skirt down. She watched with blurry vision as he pushed his manhood back into his pants, zipping it up after.

Trunks brought his hand out to touch her cheek, wiping her tears away and spoke, his voice husky but quiet. "Please don't push me away." He stepped closer to her and with his free hand, caressed her hand that was gripping the edge of his desk tightly. "Not after this."

His masculine voice was ringing in her ears but she was shaking her head in attempt to block out her feelings for him. Although she wanted to grab onto him into a tight embrace, her pride stopped her from doing just that. Pan gently pushed him out of the way and she walked to the desk she'd been working at, gathering her belongings

"Pan, please." His voice was pleading now as he followed her. "Don't do this," he whispered, vision blurring as she ignored his words.

She was searching for her keys underneath the piles of papers and when she felt his hand on hers, she snatched it back, finally looking up at him. At first, she was glaring at him but then her expression softened, her eyes that filled with tears looking lost. "You don't love me and I don't love you," she whispered. "Don't pretend you want this."  
He spoke her name again but before he could say anything, she spoke again.

"You don't even need to feel guilty because, Mr. Briefs, I don't want this either."

Trunks sighed and slightly leaned forward to her, his hand stretched toward her desk. She didn't move and their bodies touched slightly. He wanted to kiss her again but instead, he grabbed the keys he had reached for and pressed them into her hand. "Then go." It was cold, but what could he do? She was making it impossible for him to tell her that he wanted her to stay with him. He wasn't used to being rejected either.

She gripped her keys tightly in her hands and roughly bumped past him toward the door.

* * *

A/N: Finallyyy updated! Sorry it's so short, but I thought I should put this up as soon as I could instead of combining this scene with another scene so that you guys wouldn't have to wait so long. I'm also really sorry for leaving this story for a long time. Now that its winter break, I'm hoping I can update more regularly Thank you guys for your patience – I know a lot of you must be annoyed so I apologize. I hope you all have a great Christmas! Happy Holidays!


	5. Stupid Formalities

Stupid Formalities

* * *

"Finished with yesterdays stack yet?"

"No."

"You're supposed to have them finished before Clarisse comes in with another-"

Pan slammed the drawer that she had opened. "Yeah, well, they _would've_ been finished, Mr. Briefs," she spat dryly, stressing his name almost angrily. "If you didn't make me work here in the same room with you, I would've been finished by now!"

She hadn't noticed the office door open and Clarisse by the entrance of the room until Trunks turned to her and flashed his pearly whites at her. Pan seethed from his actions, annoyed at how friendly he was with that woman.

"Mr, Briefs, do you need me to call security?" Clarisse spoke sweetly, treating Pan as if she wasn't even in the room. "Ms. Son seems to have problems addressing you respectfully." Her voice may have been sweet but when she turned to look at Pan as she walked to the middle of the room, her eyes were like daggers. But even so, Pan wasn't intimidated.

"No, no," he replied, leaning forward to rest his arms on his desk, his mind almost trailing to what happened the night before on his desk. "There's no need for that, but I appreciate your concern. It makes it so much easier working with people who are as kind as you."

She could have sworn he was doing this on purpose; being overly friendly to that woman so that she'd be ticked off. And it was working. Why couldn't Clarisse be ugly? Oh, right, because _Mr. Briefs_ always had close, _beautiful_ employees that shamelessly flirt with him everyday. Holding back a groan of disgust, she tried to get back to work but out of the corner of her eyes, she was watching the two discuss whatever it was that they were discussing.

"Oh, Mr. Briefs, you always know how to flatter women."

That's it. She couldn't take it anymore. "Trunks-"

"Mr. Briefs," Clarisse corrected with a glare.

Pan wanted to throw her desk at the woman. "Mr. Briefs," she continued, distastefully. "I find it extremely unprofessional that you'd take time to-"

"Clarisse," Trunks interrupted, standing up and walking toward the woman. "Why don't we talk some other time? I'd like to have a word with Ms. Son here." He put his arm around Clarisse's small shoulders and led her to the door, his smile never faltering. "Let's have lunch together," he offered, earning a wide smile from her. When he closed his office door, he turned around with his arms crossed, a stern look on his face.

Pan scoffed. "You're unbelievable, Trunks! How the hell did you even _get_ certified as President of C-"

"That's _Mr. Briefs_ to you, Ms. Son."  
She wanted to scream at him. Before she could contain her anger, she stood up, causing her chair to tip over, scattering some paperwork behind it. "Kami, are you serious?" she yelled in disbelief. "You call me Ms. Son and I have to call you Mr. Briefs, but what do you call that shameless, 'goody two shoes' over there?" Her face was heating up from how angry she was but Trunks just walked back to his desk. When he sat down on his chair and picked up his pen to do work, she answered her own question. "You call her 'Clarisse', her first name! What happened to the formalities now, huh? What, did you _sleep_ with her and that's why you-"

"I slept with you, didn't I?" he had looked up from his writing and when he had said those words, he wished he could take them back.

Pan was glaring now. "And you were the worst man I've ever slept with."

He laughed bitterly. "Don't lie, Ms. Son, I could tell by the look on your face yesterday that you enjoyed it. A lot."

She was practically stomping toward him now and he swiveled his chair so that he could face her directly. He stood up and waited for her expected punch or kick, but was surprised when tears formed in her eyes.

"You're a jerk, Trunks," she started, carefully blinking so that the tears wouldn't fall. "The least you could do as a former friend is to never bring that up again." Pan's voice wavered as she spoke but she held back her tears. She could see him coming closer to her and he pulled her closer but instead of falling into his warm embrace, she pushed him away and walked back to her desk. "Don't talk to me when I'm working, _Mr. Briefs_."

Trunks sighed quietly and sat back down on his leather chair. Before he went back to work, he stole a glance at the woman across the room, almost longingly. The room was silent now except for the sound of his pen meeting the papers laid out in front of him. In his gut, he knew he'd regret requiring her to be so formal to him.

* * *

A/N: Quick update? :) Hope you guys enjoy this! Yes, it's a short chapter again so I'm sorry if you're disappointed. But this is my Christmas Eve/Christmas gift to everyone! Reviews would be nice :)! You could also tell me which story you'd like me to finish first. I'm very flexible and I want you all to be happy!


	6. Torn Between Love and Hate

Torn Between Love and Hate

* * *

Papers were shuffled loudly, purposefully. It was way too quiet in the office and they both needed the reassurance that there was still life in the room. They both hadn't spoken since that incident, awkwardly working together to his office in the morning without eye contact or even acknowledgement of each other's presence. It was so quiet that they could hear the clock on the wall tick every second. What made it worse was that they both could still detect the after-smell of their sex with their saiyan senses. The tension between them was stronger than it had ever been before. It was laughable to think they were weirded out with it before when now, it is much more agonizing.

Then the phone rang, startling them both. Trunks reached for the phone that was practically hanging off the edge of his desk, unfixed from the incident last night. "Capsule Corporations, this is Trunks Briefs speaking," he said, clearing his throat after.

She didn't even look at him. She knew she could've without him noticing because it sounded like he was looking through the documents in the drawers but it was like she didn't even want to. The urge she used to have just to stare longingly at him was now gone. Perhaps she was actually starting to hate him for real. Pan was so entranced in her thoughts that she didn't notice that his phone call had already ended until he got up from his desk and left the room, closing the door behind him.

She stared at the door with no changed expression. Then she took in a deep breath and got up from her desk, stretching her arms out above her. She walked to his chair and peeked at the documents sprawled on his messy desk. The spot where she had half laid on was empty, whereas everywhere else was covered with stuff. She had to look away and push the phone back in its place, almost disgustedly. She felt a knot in her stomach and she decided to get coffee in hopes to take her mind off how uncomfortable she felt thinking about what she'd done with him.

Pan walked to the door, her hand reaching for the knob when suddenly, it opened and Trunks brushed passed her thoughtlessly. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, cursing at the horrible timing and for loving his scent when he walked by her. Then she stepped out of the room to the coffee machine in another room, and poured herself a cup.

"Mr. Briefs seems rather disappointed in his new secretary."

Pan turned around only to be face-to-face with Clarisse. She tried not to glare at the other woman but she couldn't help but frown. "What do you mean?"

Clarisse grabbed an empty mug and poured herself a cup of coffee, smiling as she did so. She took her time in answering as she gently poured sugar in the coffee cup. "Those documents you were supposed to have finished yesterday are crucial for his meeting today. The company's head manager contacted him directly just earlier and they want every one of those documents relating to the firm. Perhaps if you understood how important it is for Mr. Briefs to complete even the simplest tasks, you'd have finished everything by now." She spoke in a shrewd manner, almost as if she thought Pan's situation was laughable. "Now I'm not trying to scare you off but," she took a sip of coffee and headed out the room as she finished her sentence, "-if you are unable to somehow compile all those documents together before his meeting in an hour, you might want to start looking for another job."

Pan glared daggers at Clarisse's back until she turned a corner and disappeared from her sight. Then she closed her eyes and sighed, gripping the hot cup in her hand as she prepared herself to start digging through the stacks of papers on her desk. She walked back to the office and with shaky fingers, she gripped the door handle and entered the room. She didn't know why she felt so nervous all of a sudden. Maybe it was because her job was on the line and she would be in trouble paying for rent.

She walked back to her desk, only to find it more unorganized than it had been minutes ago. She opened her mouth to speak and quickly shut it again when she realized she'd almost said his name. "Mr. Briefs," she spoke hesitantly. "I was supposed to put together a file for you for the meeting?" Her voice trembled and she wanted to kick herself for sounding so scared. However, Trunks did not appear to notice as he got up from his chair and fixed his tie.

"If you could hand me the spreadsheet I just printed out, that'd be great," was his reply as he walked towards her.

Pan turned to the printer behind her and picked up the papers, handing them over to him. "But what about the-"

"I've got it covered," he interrupted as he grabbed the papers and scanned them quickly with his eyes. Then he looked to her, their eyes locking. His eyes were tired but they were still a beautiful blue and he finished his sentence with a solemn, "Ms. Son." His voice was soft but slightly gruff, sending shivers down her back.

She had to look away and that was when he left the room, leaving her feeling worthless that he had to do her job and confused as to why she didn't feel angered by how he caused her to feel this way.

* * *

A/N: I wonder if anyone still reads this… =_= It's been what.. almost a year since I've updated? I guess I'll find out by the reviews! If you'd like me to keep updating, let me know. I finally completed summer quarter in college so my break starts now! I will definitely be able to update if it is even wanted still… heh.. I am sorry, guys..


	7. Playing the Game

Playing the Game

* * *

He hadn't come back yet, and it was already 11 p.m. How long were business meetings supposed to be anyway? She always thought that he was never _too_ busy and would always be found in his office, but he was gone for hours.

Pan took one last look at the clock – she'd been doing that quite often – and then filed the last set of documents on her desk. She knew she could have left and gone home like most of the other secretaries but... she just had more work to do! _Yes, that's it_, she thought to herself. It wasn't like she wanted to wait for Trunks to come back. That would be ridiculous. She hated him. All she wanted to do here was to start on tomorrow's workload. She got up from her chair and walked to another table by the door, grabbing another stack of papers. She didn't know how long she'd work until but right now, her mind was set on filing… and filing… and… why wasn't he back yet?

Another hour passed and she completed all of today's work and the next day's. She could file things much quicker now because of how used to it she was. She'd done it all day. Disappointed, she grabbed her belongings and headed out of the office, down the elevator, and out the door, breathing in the cool breeze. It was dark, but not too dark. Capsule Corp. always had fancy lighting outside of the building to capture people's amazement. She sighed and headed to the direction of her home.

Trunks caught the sight of her walking home. He'd been in the main lobby's room looking for specific paperwork when he heard her sigh out the door and then forgetting about what he intended to do, he grabbed his belongings and left as well. He was surprised she stayed that long and wondered what she'd been doing this whole time. Her tasks today weren't too over-piling and she should have been finished with them sooner. Quietly, he went out of the building and then, bringing up a front, he prepared himself for a confrontation.

"Well, well, look who's finally done her job after slacking off with the business meeting papers."

Did he do a good job in sounding like a jerk? He saw her hands grip in a tight fist as she turned around, glaring at him. He smiled. Score one for Trunks.

Pan wanted to slap that smug look right off his face. "I was actually doing my work unlike you, who was off probably doing something stupid!" She yelled before quickly adding a "Mr. Briefs" tentatively to her comeback.

He almost laughed, walking past her to the direction of his home. "Believe it or not, I have more responsibilities than you could ever imagine. I don't merely sit at my desk all day like you think. And you know, Ms. Son, it would be nice if you were on top of things and actually took control."

"Was that a sexual remark?"

He stopped walking and couldn't help but grin at how much fun he was having talking to her. That was the exact response he was looking for. "You wish," he replied impudently. He could _feel_ her seething but this was what he wanted. She wanted their relationship to be like this and she was going to get it tenfold.

"Go to hell, Trunks," she spat quietly, watching him as he started walking again nonchalantly.

"_Mr. Briefs_," he corrected. "Oh, and Ms. Son?" he turned around to catch her scowl. "You might want to reconsider having that attitude of yours. I can make _you_ feel like you're living in hell." Trunks gave a small laugh and then turned to walk away. He was sure she was steaming with anger. This wasn't the kind of interaction he had wanted before but this will have to do. It was way better than her ignoring him. He sighed quietly to himself and his face fell in disconsolation. He hated her… Right?

Pan shut her eyes, refusing to let his words hurt her. Yes, she was the one who started the war but she'd rather fight than lose whatever pride she had left in her. The night she had with Trunks in his office was a mistake but she wasn't going to allow him to 'fix' the mistake by suggesting to be together. That felt like an excuse to her and she was not going to take that road. She wanted to hate him. That had always been her plan from the start, and she was going to make sure it would happen.

She continued walking home, following the seemingly endless sidewalk. She couldn't help but think about him and her steps became slower as she felt warm tears flood her eyes. This time, she allowed them to fall, feeling them drip to her hands from her chin. "I hate you, Trunks," she whispered to herself, almost as if trying to convince herself. "And why do I hate you?" her fingers gripped the keys she had in her hand as she came closer to home.

Trunks rested his head against his front door for a moment before pushing the keys in the lock. "I don't know anymore."

* * *

A/N: This quick update will be my apology for making you guys wait for so long :) I am pretty happy with this chapter. What do you guys think? :) I think I am overcoming my ever-so-long writer's block. Reviews would be appreciated as always!

Thank you all for your encouragement! It made me smile and remember how much I love doing this :)


	8. Rash Decisions

Rash Decisions

* * *

"I am actually impressed, Ms. Son. You were able to finish everything last night." Trunks sat comfortably in his swivel chair, his arms crossed over his chest. He was looking at the girl who had just entered his office. She refused to look at him as she stared at the picture frames on the side walls of the room, her hands behind her back with her weight shifted on one leg. The sarcastic smile he had on his face disappeared when he looked into her eyes. She'd been crying last night, he could tell. Her eyelids were slightly swollen and her eyes looked tired with a slight redness to them. He had to look away and clear his throat. Then, motioning her towards him, he said, "I'd like you to help me put these papers into each envelope and then use this stamp for the front." He pointed to the stacks of papers on his desk and the stamp that had the company's name along with his name on it.

Pan hesitantly walked toward the side of his desk and she reached for the stack of papers, intending to bring them to her desk but he stopped her, putting his hand on top of the stack. She had to look at him then.

"There's a lot to bring so you might as well stay here." He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a capsule, much like the one he used before during the coffee incident. Then, throwing it on the ground, it transformed to a chair. He motioned his hand to the chair as he spoke, "you can sit here."

"Trunks-"

He raised an eyebrow and grinned when she caught herself before he even corrected her. "Mr. Briefs, you mean." His voice was gentler this time, compared to the other times he spoke to her when she called him by his first name.

Pan looked away again and attempted to sound annoyed. "I am fully capable of putting all these things on my desk, Mr. Briefs."

He swung the chair behind her, hitting the back of her knees and she fell on the soft leather seat. "Don't make any more excuses. You need to get started right now," he exclaimed, grabbing another stack of papers from under his desk. "In fact, I'd like you to stick these in the envelopes as well. I don't want to hear any more complaints from you, Ms. Son, so I would appreciate it if you could actually work without getting distracted by my good looks."

She scoffed. "You've got to be kidding me. Seriously, _Mr. Briefs_, whoever would want to be with you is not after you for your appearance. They probably want something else like-"

"My di-"

"Trunks!" She interrupted, her face flushing a deep red, knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"You mean 'Mr. Briefs.' Really Ms. Son, how hard is it for you to remember?"

She ignored his comment, turning the conversation back to what he had almost said. "No one wants _that_ from you."

"You-" he stopped himself before he could finish, looking away so she couldn't see his penitent expression but it was already too late. She knew what he would've said if he hadn't stopped himself.

Pan shook her head in disbelief, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. "You know what," she spoke in a surprisingly calm but hurt tone and stood up from the chair she sat in. "I am going to move this stuff back to my desk and-"

"Pan, come on, you know I-"

"_Ms. Son_, Trunks! You are a hypocrite for-"

"_Mr. Briefs,_" he spoke, cutting her off before she could finish proving him wrong. He always hated that. He might have gotten that from his father but nonetheless, he could feel anger boiling up inside him.

She practically growled in frustration and quickly started to grab the stacks of papers. "Just let me do my work and leave me alone, _Mr. Briefs!_" Her emphasis on his name was bleak and Trunks could just feel her anger. "I don't care if you have a gigantic ego and I don't care if you are my boss! I would just _love_ for you to quit trying so hard to be my friend!"

Trunks stood up too, scoffing at what she said to him. "Be your friend? Are you kidding me? Why would I want to be friends with a good-for-nothing, temperamental, girl like you? You give me nothing but trouble and you are always trying to pick a fight with me! I am pretty sick of your attitude!"

She was shaking her head now as she laughed sarcastically. Tears were welling up in her eyes again but she was putting her energy into not making them fall. "Then why do you try so hard to…" Her voice almost wavered so she had to stop.

"To what?" he demanded, watching as she turned herself away from him. When she didn't answer, he grabbed her arm and turned her around forcefully.

She was struggling to escape but he wasn't letting go. She could feel the tears in her eyes threatening to fall and she surrendered to looking into his eyes. She was getting warmer and her heart pounded hard in her chest. Pan opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead, her eyes fell down to his lips, which were set into a frown, and then back up to his eyes. She felt his grip loosen.

"Why are you doing this to us?" His voice was barely audible but she heard him clearly.

"Because I hate you," she answered, but her voice was weak as she spoke the sentence, sounding more like a whimper than a firm answer.

His expression had already softened and he was shaking his head. "You hate me," he repeated, slowly letting go of her arms, his hands falling to his side. "So if you hate me, why are you here?"

Pan looked to the floor without a word of reply. "You want me to quit?"

"That's not what I-"

"I quit." She walked away then, leaving him evidently shocked. Grabbing her belongings, she walked out of the office without another word from either of them.

* * *

A/N: This took longer than I thought it would T_T I'm rustier than I thought! Well anyway, thank you all for your kind words and support! They are very encouraging and it pushes me to fight through writer's block :) Thanks again!


	9. I Forbid It

I Forbid it

* * *

He was outside of her apartment door, pacing. Should he ring the doorbell? Knock? Call her first? He didn't know what to do. Everything seemed inappropriate as a boss and they were no longer friends, so what was he _allowed_ to do?

Trunks sighed and stopped a moment to gather his thoughts. If he were to confront her right now, what is there to gain? Sure, he'd have a secretary again, but was that all he wanted?

He could hear footsteps approaching the door; too late to think now.

Pan opened the door suspiciously and when her eyes met his, she looked away to the floor. "What are you doing here?" her voice was soft, wavering ever so slightly. Her body was mostly hidden by the door and judging by her semi-dry hair, he could tell she'd showered moments earlier.

Trunks looked down to the ground too. "I don't know," he spoke honestly. He shook his head and laughed himself, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I don't know," he said again, this time almost in a whisper.

Her eyes trailed upwards. He looked tired. He should be; it's already 11:30 p.m. and he'd been up since 5:00 a.m. He must have stayed up late to finish her tasks she left behind. Pan felt guilty. She didn't want to though, seeing as she was supposed to hate him. She should be happy that he suffered and needed her. But… It didn't feel right. "I'm sorry," she heard herself say quietly.

He took a step toward her and rested the side of his head on the door frame, dangerously close to her. His eyes met hers and his heart skipped a beat. Pan looked sincerely apologetic and he had to give her a half-smile. "If I remember correctly, you were rarely sorry for anything, back in the day." He noticed her lips curve upward slightly and he couldn't stop looking away from her eyes.

"Well, I am." For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to look away either. She almost forgot how to breath as she felt her lower region pulsing as she suddenly remembered how attractive she thought he looked when he was confused. She wanted to slap herself back to reality. She couldn't be thinking about making love to him at this moment, not when she just quit from her job unprofessionally.

He could tell she was mentally battling herself, but he didn't know what it was exactly. When he caught her glance at his lips, it gave her away. His manhood stiffened and he suddenly wanted her too. "You owe me for covering for you," he spoke huskily.

Pan's breathing quickened, but she forced herself to appear calm. "What do you mean? I quit, Mr. Briefs. I have nothing to…" she trailed off as he stepped closer to her. "There's… Nothing that I…umm…" They were so close to each other now that she could feel his body heat and smell his scent that made butterflies in her stomach. How can she still have butterflies, she wondered. She wasn't a teenager anymore.

His hands found their way to her soft neck. He was gentle, but she knew if she tried to move away, he wouldn't let her. He leaned forward to her ear and mumbled, "You can't quit, Ms. Son. I won't let you." Call it a fetish, but the way his innocence transformed almost into rough-handling turned her on. She couldn't find reason to stop him when he pushed his way into her apartment and turned the lock on her door. "I forbid it."

* * *

Author's note: First of all, I apologize! I know, it's almost been a year. Summer has begun and I am determined to finish this story though! I hope that despite my lack of consistent uploading, you will stay with me and continue to inspire me to continue writing. I hope to hear from you soon! (That is, if you guys even remember me hehe..).


	10. Desperately Pretending

Desperately Pretending

* * *

For some reason, she couldn't cry. She felt dirty and violated, but she just couldn't. Pan didn't look up at him as she put on her robe. She could barely see the outline of his body from the light of the moon. It was weird how she could want him so badly one moment and once she had _it_, she felt regret. It wasn't like he was bad at it. In fact, she had to admit that he was pretty damn good at it.

Perhaps she felt this way because of the way he looked. He was obviously driven purely by sexual desire; the way his blue orbs stole the sight of her, his hands unwilling to release her. She stole a glance at him as he buttoned his shirt. His back was facing her, and when he sighed, she looked away as if afraid he caught her looking at him.

"Are you afraid of me?"

His question caught her by surprise. She gripped the bed sheets beneath her that were wrinkled and out of place. Pan squeezed her eyes shut, feeling numb. She felt more afraid of _herself_, she wanted to say. The way she let him touch her made her angry at herself for giving in to her desires when she had been successful at avoiding him.

He sighed again when she didn't answer. "Do you hate me?"

She was still throbbing from what happened moments earlier and it bothered her. It was like an annoying reminder of what they did. She gripped her legs with her hands, sinking her nails into her flesh, trying to distract her body with pain instead of pleasure. She'd rather call it _false_ pleasure since it wasn't like they were happy about what they did after it was over.

Trunks clenched his jacket in his hands and growled in frustration, slamming his fist on the bedframe. "Answer me, damn it!" His voice faintly echoed in her room.

Pan winced and she tried to stop her body from shaking. She couldn't help but stay silent. Thoughts were racing in her head and she wasn't sure what she was feeling. Her heart was aching so much now that she feared nothing could stop it.

Suddenly she found herself pinned onto her bed, his hands gripping her shoulders. His hair covered his eyes, but she could see he was gritting his teeth in anger. "Answer me!" he shouted again. When she only squeezed her eyes shut, he shook her hard against the bed.

Her hands came to his wrists, trying to pry him off of her. "Yes, Mr. Briefs, I _hate_ you! Are you happy now?" tears were forming in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He stopped shaking her and hit the bed right by her head. "Kami, don't call me Mr. Briefs when we're like this!"

"So you're Trunks now?" she couldn't bring herself to look at him, and instead stared at the ceiling. She was quiet and if it weren't for his Saiyan hearing, she would be inaudible. "I'd rather call you Mr. Briefs in this situation," she mumbled.

"Why not? You had no problem screaming my name earlier." Instantly as he said this, he felt his face stinging in pain. He probably deserved that slap, but being a stubborn man in denial, he didn't feel guilty of what he said. "What's wrong, Pan? This was what you wanted, right?" He was breathing heavily now, his mouth ajar.

The way he looked now reminded her of the days when she'd watch him train so that he wouldn't be rusty with his Saiyan abilities. Those were the days when she used to be so in love with him. She watched his chest rise up and then down as he breathed. It was just like how she remembered long ago and before she could stop herself, she pushed him over and kissed him.

He couldn't help himself. He found his way under her robe, his hands grazing her waist and then her back, forcing their bodies together as he pulled her to him. He could feel her breasts on his chest and her small fingers fumbling with his belt.

His hands went on hers, her forehead against his. "What are you doing?" he whispered, his voice wavering.

She was panting, her eyes on the wrinkly bedsheets, avoiding eye-contact. "You want me to work for you, don't you?" She felt like an android. The way she spoke with no emotion scared her. Her heart was still aching but it seemed like doing this was the only way out. She'd work for him and he'll come to her every night. She'll pretend this was the only reason for the deal but deep inside, in the back of her mind, she knew she just wanted to be with him no matter what.

Trunks felt her hands reach into his boxers and her fingers wrapping firmly around him. He couldn't stop now.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for your kind words of encouragement! I will definitely finish this story! I noticed some of you guys asked me to finish my other stories as well. I will look back and reread them and figure out which ones I have more ideas for. Writer's block is finally starting to disappear! *knock on wood*


	11. Broken Memories

Broken Memories

* * *

"Do you think we could ever stop this?" Her fingers were tracing the outlines of his biceps as he lay asleep on her bed. Sometimes he would be so tired afterwards that he'd nap for a while, only to leave early in the morning, before she woke. What he didn't know was that whenever he fell asleep, she'd just lay next to him and imagine what it would be like if they loved each other until she fell asleep too.

It was 1:00 in the morning. She predicted he'd wake up in an hour or so and go back home to sleep some more before work. Pan gazed at his rising chest as he took a deep breath. She rolled over to her stomach and rested her head on his chest and concentrated on his face. He looked agitated, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Maybe he was having a bad dream?

"Why can't we…"

He surprised her and she quickly moved away from him. When she realized he was talking in his sleep, she sighed in relief.

Trunks moved his arm slightly, his eyebrows furrowing downward more. "Why can't we?" he repeated.

She slowly approached him, careful not to wake him. "Why can't we what?" she whispered, watching as his mouth opened slightly. She waited a good two minutes before laying her head down on her pillow. She was being ridiculous. Why would he respond to her in his sleep anyway?

He rolled to his side now and his hands brushed against her arm. Pan blushed at how close his face was to hers. It was different when they were having sex. That was just part of a deal they agreed on, nothing else. When at work, they barely make eye-contact, let alone speak to each other. He'd call her "Ms. Son," and she'd call him "Mr. Briefs," just like how they were supposed to. And after work, they never spoke. Maybe it was because they were both ashamed. It didn't matter. She wouldn't know what to call him anyway, so maybe it was a good thing they never had conversations outside of work. She closed her eyes.

"Tell me to stop and I will."

She lifted her head from her pillow. Again, he didn't say anything and she waited another five minutes before he spoke again.

"Pan," his voice was strained, as if he was in pain. "I hate you for doing this to us."

Pan stiffened, her breath caught in her throat. Her vision was blurring from the tears that threatened to fall and her nose tingled. She glared at him and choked back a sob. She covered her mouth with her hands and got up, carefully moving so as not to wake him. Once she stepped out of her room to the couch in the living room, she covered her face with a pillow and cried. She hated herself too.

She fell asleep after a while.

An hour later, Trunks woke from his nap. He noticed she wasn't in bed and he got up and dressed. He peeked in the bathroom but she wasn't there either. Then, quietly, he walked out and found her on the couch, her knees up close to her body. She must be cold.

He looked around her apartment and finally found the storage room where she kept a couple spare blankets. When he struggled to take one off the top shelf, the box next to the blankets moved outwards too, and he cursed, holding it back with one hand.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped and the box fell, its contents falling all over him. "Kami, you scared me!" He glanced at her, who was standing by the storage door and quickly turned back, embarrassed. He bent down to put the contents back in the box but stopped when he picked up a portrait of the two of them together, smiling happily.

When she looked over his shoulder and saw what he was holding, she quickly snatched it away and put it in the box, throwing the other things on top of it.

"Hey, hold on, I-"

"What are you doing here anyway?" she interrupted, picking up the box and trying to put it on the top shelf.

He took the box from her and helped put it where it belonged, by the spare blankets. "Nothing," he answered. "I was just… Nothing." Without meeting her eyes, he brushed past her, out of the storage room and back into the living room. He picked up his briefcase that was lying beside the kitchen countertop and headed for the door.

"Mr. Briefs-"

"I'll see you at work." He stopped halfway out the door and added, "Ms. Son." Then he closed the door behind him.

* * *

A/N: Tell me what you guys think! I'm also open to suggestions if you guys have any. As promised, I will continue with these updates! I'm aiming for at least once a week! Thank you guys for your feedback! P.S. I actually love reading silly rants about stories because I always do that too ;)


	12. Lingering Questions

Lingering Questions

* * *

"Let's stop."

Pan took her hand off of the office door but she didn't turn around. "What?" was all she could ask, but her thoughts were on what happened last week on the night she spoke to him in his sleep.

His back was to her too and as he stared out of the glass wall behind his desk, he closed his eyes and sighed quietly. "Can we stop pretending now?" He could sense her fear but he knew not to mention it. He remembered from their past that she never liked admitting she was afraid.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Briefs." Her voice was soft but audible.

Trunks formed a tight fist with his hands hearing how she addressed him. "Stop calling me Mr. Briefs!" When he heard no reply, he furrowed his eyebrows and took a deep breath. He tried to calm himself down, but it seemed like the more he tried, the angrier he got. He turned around to his desk, pulling the top drawer almost too roughly and grabbed what was in the drawer, on top of the stacks of paperwork, throwing it on top of his desk.

She cringed. His anger was obvious.

"I want you to look at this," he demanded, slamming the open drawer shut. He was crossing his arms, glaring at the back of her head.

She didn't move.

He just about had it. Before Pan knew it, he grabbed her by the arm and was practically dragged her to his desk where she recognized the portrait of them that she had in the box in her storage room. When she snatched her arm away from him, he opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

"Why do you have this?" Her voice was growing louder as she spoke, matching his anger. "You had no right to look through my apartment and just take my things away!"

"Tell me why we can't get back to _this_," he asserted, ignoring her question and grabbing the portrait with his hand.

She glanced at the picture again, looked away, and spoke quietly, "It's gone, Mr. Briefs."

His grip on the portrait tightened. "Kami, don't tell me it's gone when you haven't even given it a chance!"

"It's _gone_, Mr. Briefs! We can't _ever_ be like that anymore!" Her voice seemed to echo in his office. Her glare intensified when instead of yelling back at her, he looked at the portrait, holding it with both of his hands. Frustrated, she took the portrait from him and threw it on his desk, cracking the glass.

Infuriated, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her against the glass wall. "Give me one good reason why it's impossible!"

With tears in her eyes, she glared at him, squeezing her hands into two tight fists. "Because I hate you! I hate you so much, Mr. Briefs!"

He slammed his fist on the wall, not hard enough to shatter the whole thing, but enough to cause large cracks in the glass. "Why do you hate me so much?" His voice was surprisingly soft. His anger had died down and he looked to the ground, covering his eyes with his hair. "How could we have gotten into this mess? This wasn't what I wanted…"

"What did you want?" Pan closed her eyes, feeling his grip on her shoulder ease. "We grew apart. There was nothing we could've done to stop it."

He didn't respond right way. Instead, he pulled her off from the glass wall. She thought he was going to hit her but found herself wrapped tightly in his arms in a warm embrace. "Why can't we…" His voice sounded pleading against her ear. Again, what he said reminded her of what he mumbled the night he found the photo.

"Trunks…"

He tightened his hold on her. He missed hearing her say his name.

"Please let me go," she whispered, but she didn't push him away. Tears were falling down her cheeks now and she buried her face in the side of his neck, breathing in his scent as she cried silently. "We can't go back now."

"Who says we can't? We can make it work! Let's break off the deal. We'll be best friends working at the same company and the only times I'll ever be at your apartment will be when we're hanging out on a non-work day! It'll be just like how we imagined, back when-"

"Back when you hadn't dated Marron?"

He seemed to loosen his grip on her but after a moment of hesitation, he nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay," she replied simply. She closed her eyes shut, reminiscing of the days when she used to be so close to him. Could they really go back to how it was before? She knew they started drifting away when he started dating Marron. That was when she felt betrayed and left behind. With a broken heart, she had decided to distance herself from him, realizing he'd never fall for her. He had different tastes for women, and she was definitely not in the same category as Marron.

But if she were to allow their friendship to start over, it'll only bring her pain when he starts dating again. And could she really handle that?

* * *

A/N: Don't worry, you guys! Marron will probably not have an appearance in this story! If she does though, she won't be a big character in it like in my other story Mistaking Mistakes. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know in a review :)


	13. Start of the Game

Start of the Game

* * *

Pan's window curtains blew gently from the chilly night breeze outside. She was relaxing on her sofa with a cup of coffee in her hands, sifting through the mail she hadn't looked at yet. So far, work with Trunks had been surprisingly pleasant since last week, when the deal broke. In her comfy pajama bottoms and tank top, she was comfortable. She could feel herself drifting off into a nice afternoon nap.

Until there was a knock on the door.

She wasn't expecting guests, hence her lazy-day attire. Quickly setting her cup of coffee on the table and throwing the mail on the couch, she sped toward the door. When she opened it, she felt someone roughly brush against her into her apartment. "Hey-" she started, both scared and angry as she turned in preparation to beat the living crap out of whoever it was.

"Hey, Pan."

She rubbed her eyes, surprised. Her mouth was slightly open as she stared dumbfoundedly at the back of her intruder's head.

"Mr. Briefs?" She closed her apartment door and walked over to her couch, almost zombie-like, watching him go through her mail.

Trunks turned to look at the confused woman and eyed her up and down. "Pajama night, huh?" He smiled and pointed to his attire. He wore comfy grey sweats and a plain white t-shirt, smiling proudly at her. "It was meant to be," he chimed. He patted the spot next to him, motioning her to come closer but instead, she sat at the end of the same couch, bringing her legs up to cross them under her. He didn't seem to mind. "Telephone bill, rent bill, junk mail, junk mail…"

He was seriously looking through her things! Pan wasn't sure if she should be angry or not. She was still in shock and she wondered if she was possibly dreaming.

"Can you not call me Mr. Briefs anymore? We're friends again, right?"

That seemed to wake her up. Pan quickly looked away, realizing she'd been staring at him all this time. She felt the empty spot next to her sink lower as he crawled over to her. She moved away instinctively to the top of the arm rest at the end of the couch.

"Pan…" He seemed to be whining.

She didn't answer.

"Paaaaaannnn…"

She couldn't help but glance at him from the corner of her eyes and was face to face with him. She would've fallen off the arm rest if he hadn't grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Mr. Briefs," she said, pulling her arm away from him, but he didn't let go. Then Pan felt him tug her and she fell caught herself in a push-up position on top of him. She was getting nervous. She didn't know what was going on with her. Usually, she'd be able to put up a tough front but it was like she was stuck in slow motion while things moved quickly in front of her eyes. She hadn't even realized it when he pushed her to the side of him, cornering her against the couch with his body.

"Call me Trunks," he said, smiling almost evilly at her.

His scent was so… Pleasant. She'd describe it as a scent wonderfully intoxicating. But wait… there was something else too…

"Come on, Pan, "he started, propping his body up with his elbow. "Why aren't you saying anythi-" He noticed she was leaning forward, and when she was only inches from his face, he looked away, thinking she was about to kiss him.

"Were you smoking?"

Her question surprised him. "What?"

"Do you smoke, Mr. Briefs?"

He pushed himself up so that he was sitting and looked away, embarrassed. He watched from the corner of his eyes as she got up too. She sat with her legs crossed under her waiting for his answer. Trunks forced a laugh, hoping to ease the awkward tension. "Yeah, I picked it up a while ago."

She looked troubled. "What? When?"

Their eyes met and Pan noticed he was trying to make light of the situation. Trunks waved his hand in the air, as if dismissing her question. "Long time ago," he said simply, and then he changed the subject. "You're suddenly so talkative now, huh?"

There was a moment of silence but somehow, they couldn't look away from eachother's eyes. It was as if they were trying to read each other, just like how they were able to before.

"Mr. Briefs…"

He gave her a sad smile. "Don't worry about me, Pan, it's not a big deal."

"Yes it is." She looked away now, unable to meet his eyes as she continued to speak. "I remember you hated it when Marron started smoking-"

Trunks interrupted her, his voice gradually growing louder as he spoke. "This has nothing to do with Marron."

Pan ignored him. "You couldn't stand the smell of it and now you've started smoking too? That's not you at all."

"You don't know me."

Although his voice was soft when he spoke those words, it hurt. She didn't want to move from her spot, but at the same time, she wished she wasn't facing him.

Trunks moved away, placing his feet on the floor and crossing his arms behind his head, leaning back against the couch. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to get angry at you." When he didn't hear a reply from her, he glanced at her. She still refused eye contact. "I'm not addicted to it, Pan. I just like to do it when I'm stressed out about something so I get my mind off of things. I can stop anytime."

"Then stop now."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Why do you care so much about it?"

Instead of answering, she got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. He could hear her opening and closing drawers. When she returned, she had two empty shot glasses and a bottle of liquor.

He looked confused. "You never drank before."

"I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do then." She sat down across from him, motioning him to sit down on the floor too. When he did, she poured the liquor in the two shot glasses. "Let's play a game, Mr. Briefs. We can start off by sharing something simple things we don't know about each other. Each time we do, we take a shot, and continue."

"Sounds like a dangerous game, Pan."

She pushed one of the shot glasses closer to him. "We can stop anytime."

* * *

AN: Hey guys, I had a minor case of Writer's Block, which is why I wasn't able to update last week. I hope you guys like where this story is headed though!

To Donny, sorry if it was a little confusing! I intended it to be Pan's idea of the deal. I guess you could say she is desperate but to me, I considered her to be too caught up in her emotions to really think about what she was doing. I hope this clears things up for you!

Thank you to my readers and especially ones who leave reviews! ;)


	14. Bad Drunk

Bad Drunk

* * *

Trunks looked expectedly at the woman across from him. When she made no effort to start first, he picked up his shot and cleared his throat. He took a moment to think of something. Then, without meeting eye contact, he said, "Sometimes I hide under my desk when I haven't prepared for a meeting."

She smiled. Once he drank the shot, she poured some more for him. Then she picked up hers. "I drink coffee at night." Then she drank her shot.

"That's ridiculous."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that about your confession, Mr. Briefs?" She saw him crack a smile as he poured more liquor in her empty shot.

"I never read my fan mail."

"Heartless!"

He nudged her under the table but they were still smiling.

"Alright, I take hotel towels and their complimentary travel sized shampoos."

"Even though there's really no need to go Saiyan anymore, I still do every now and then, just so I could feel invincible."

"Sometimes I wish I had more time each day so I could beat robbers up like the good old days."

"I'm terrified of spiders."

"I used to put spiders in your room years ago."

"Pan…"

She burst out laughing, feeling her head getting heavy. "What, Mr. Briefs? You're part Saiyan! Kami, you could blow them up from afar if you wanted to!" crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on her forearms.

Trunks shook his head in disapproval and poured her another shot. Then, swirling the liquor around in his glass, he asked, "Why do you call me 'Mr. Briefs' still?"

Her smile disappeared as she watched him stare at his glass and she grabbed hers as she answered. "Because I'm afraid to get close to you again." She drank her shot and motioned him to pour her another one.

"Why are you so afraid?"

She set her glass down and didn't speak. After a while, she shook her head. "It's supposed to be your turn. I went twice just now." Then she looked up to meet his eyes. "What happened with you and Marron?"

If it hadn't been for the alcohol, he would've found a way to dodge the question. He gave her a sad smile and answered, "She cheated on me," before drinking his shot. He poured himself some more. "Said I worked too much; that I wasn't fun anymore."

Pan stared long and hard at her shot, as if mentally preparing herself for her next confession. "I've always seen you as perfect, even if you were busy with work all the time."

Trunks smiled but it disappeared shortly after. "Tell me about your past relationships now."

She sleepily buried her face in her arms on the table. "I've only had one."

"How serious were you?"

"Serious, but not too serious."

"Did you ever sleep with him?"

She paused before she answered. Then she lifted her head up from her arms and poured another shot in her glass. "You were my first." She drank the shot and refilled it, drinking the next shot right after. For some reason, her vision started blurring and she realized she was on the verge of tears. She grabbed the liquor bottle to pour herself another drink but was stopped when his hands gently landed on top of hers.

"Let's stop playing." Even his voice was gentle.

Pan quickly pulled her hand back and got up from her spot. Memories of her past relationship suddenly came to her.

She could never tell him that the other man had actually caught on to her undying love for Trunks. Although she never spoke of him, whenever he was mentioned on the news or when relatives spoke of him, she'd look away. When her actions were questioned, she'd refuse to tell him and he grew to suspect her feelings for him.

She could feel her head pounding and she felt light headed. Before she knew it, she was in Trunks' arms.

"Don't push yourself," he spoke quietly, helping her stand in place.

"I'm fine, Mr. Briefs." She was embarrassed at how he was still so composed even after drinking so much, while she could barely stand. She put one hand on the couch behind her to balance herself and with her free hand, she gripped his sleeve.

He rubbed her back, allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder. He felt like a jerk. Had he known that he was her first, maybe it would've been different. But then again, even without knowing that, he would've wanted to take back a lot of things that happened. She let go of him and he watched her, holding out his arms so that if she fell, he'd catch her.

She swatted his arms in annoyance and turned around to face him. "Quit watching out for me. I'm not a weakling." As she said this, she tripped over her own feet and before she knew it, she was falling forward. Her eyes squeezed shut. She felt his warm breath against her cheeks and she opened her eyes, realizing she was on top of him on the couch. It seemed like she was always falling on top of him.

"I never thought you were."

She blushed and rolled off of him, untangling their feet. "You always make me feel so..." She stopped herself before she said more.

He smiled. "So what?"

She looked away. "Nothing."

"Come on, Pan, tell me," he pleaded, sitting up from his spot to get comfortable.

She shook her head but stopped instantly when she felt herself get dizzy. "Ugh, gross. I'm not drunk enough to feel good." She heard him laugh, but instead of defending herself, she reached forward and grabbed the bottle of liquor, bringing it up to her lips.

"Wait," he said, partially laughing. "Don't drink anymore, Pan. I don't think you're a good drunk." He leaned towards her, trying to grab the bottle, but she moved away. "Pan, I'm laughing, but I'm totally serious!"

She almost choked as she giggled. When Trunks' fingers grazed the liquor bottle, she squealed and tried to move away, but she was already at the end of the couch. "Okay, okay, okay!" She was laughing now. "You can drink it now," she said, giving him the bottle.

He smiled at how cute she looked drunk and chuckled. "You're so childish sometimes." He grabbed the bottle away and just before he was able to set it on the table, she grabbed his arm, pulling him back on the couch.

"You're no fun!"

He was still smiling. "Okay, yeah, I'm no fun," he spoke sarcastically, trying to pry her hands off of him.

"Come on, Mr. Briefs!" Suddenly, she let go and looked intensely into his eyes. "I'll stop calling you 'Mr. Briefs' if you finish up that bottle!"

He shook his head. "As much as I'd like that, I shouldn't. I'm a horrible drunk," he admitted, smiling sheepishly. Trunks set the liquor down and put the lid on, earning a pout from the girl beside him. "Besides, I'm afraid of what would happen if we were both drunk…"

Pan sighed heavily and slumped down on the couch, crossing her arms across her chest. "Don't be so boring, Trunks. No wonder Marron dumped you."

That hurt. Although he knew she was drunk and probably said it just because she didn't get her way, he couldn't help but feel his heart ache. He tried to laugh it off. "Very funny, Pan. You're not such a cute drunk after all."

"I'll take back what I said about you being boring if you drink with me!" she sang, leaning her head against him.

He gently pushed her away, about to get up from the couch. Before he was able to though, she pulled him back and he caught his fall with a hand on the top of the couch, right by Pan's head. Trunks sighed. "I'm not going to drink, Pan." Their noses bumped as she leaned forward towards his lips with hers and he pulled away, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. He cleared his throat and stood up, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I-I'd better head out. It's getting pretty late and… I..."

He trailed off as his eyes traveled to her exposed shoulder. He wasn't sure if she pulled her shirt on accident or purposefully to make him stay but either way, he forgot he was in the middle of his sentence.

She was pouting now. "But I want you to stay."

Trunks tore his eyes off her and shook his head. "I can't, Pan. I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay?" He turned around and started to leave, taking in slow, deep breaths to calm himself.

"You really are all about work, aren't you?"

He was a few feet away from the door but he couldn't keep going when she spoke those words. "That's not fair." His voice was quiet.

"If you're really not a boring workaholic, you'd stay and drink with me."

He was tempted to prove her wrong. That part of him he inherited from his father was hard to subdue. Everything she said about him angered him deeply. He gave a small growl in frustration but forced his feet to walk towards the door. "I care about you too much to stay," he mumbled as he turned the handle and closed to door behind him.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! Thanks for all your kind words and support :) It always puts a smile on my face and encourages me to keep writing! Have a great weekend, everyone! This is one of my longest chapters so I think I deserve some bubbletea hehehe ;)


	15. Forgive Me, Mr Briefs

Forgive Me, Mr. Briefs

* * *

Trunks had found his way to the rooftop of Capsule Corp. during his break, away from the hectic workplace. He dug in his pant pocket, his fingers grazing the cold metallic lighter. Sighing, he grasped it and pulled it out along with a box of cigarettes. The smell of fresh air was soon taken over with cigarette smoke.

"I'm worried about you, Mr. Briefs."

He turned his head to see Clarisse, a solemn expression set on her face. He smiled at her and blew out a puff of smoke he'd just inhaled from his cigarette. "What's there to worry about?"

The woman walked closer to him and leaned against the wall casually. "You seem to be tense. Worried about tomorrow's meeting?"

Trunks shook his head and looked over to the rooftops of neighboring buildings. He hated talking about work during his break. He'd been looking forward for his break today as well, more than usual. There were a lot of things on his mind and work was part of that, but he didn't like to admit it. Work was something he felt he had total control over in his life. "I just needed some fresh air," he said instead, inhaling from his cigarette again.

"Perhaps it has something to do with Ms. Son?"

His eyes fell to the floor. "What makes you think that?"

Clarisse ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, to start off, you hesitated when I said her name. You know, if she isn't fit for the job-"

"She is very well suited for the job, Clarisse. I am very confident in that," he interrupted. Once he realized his tone was defensive, he wished he hadn't said anything. If he wasn't careful, dangerous rumors could spread in the building, jeopardizing both their reputations.

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What is she to you, Mr. Briefs, if you don't mind me asking?"

"She is a faithful employee," he responded slowly, trying to find the right words to say.

"Just an employee?" Clarisse took a moment to think and then surprising him, she asked, "Then do you think of me strictly as an employee as well?"

"There you are, Mr. Briefs!"

Both Trunks and Clarisse turned around toward the direction of a voice.

"You're a dummy for-" Pan stopped in the middle of her sentence as she neared, realizing he wasn't alone. She awkwardly took a step back, unsure of what to do.

Clarisse scowled at the younger woman, straightening herself as she pushed against the wall. "Ms. Son," she spoke sternly in disgusted acknowledgment. She would've spoken more but when Trunks put a hand on her shoulder, she refrained herself.

"I'd like to speak privately to Ms. Son, if you don't mind."

The older woman turned to look at him for a moment and then walked away, her heels clicking on the floor with every step she took. Once she was out of sight, Trunks leaned back against the wall and shoved his free hand in his pocket. He waited for Pan to speak, wondering if she'd remember what happened the night before.

Pan slowly walked toward him and she instantly recognized the smell of cigarette smoke. She frowned. There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask to him, regarding last night. Instead of asking him a million questions at once, she chose one that bugged her the most at the moment. "Why were you avoiding me the whole day? That's so unlike you."

He let out a breath, the smoke escaping his lips quickly. "Sorry, Pan, I didn't mean to. I'm just a little bit busier today."

"Too busy to even say 'hi'?" She waited for him to reply but after a moment, she realized he wasn't going to. She grabbed his arm just before his cigarette touched his lips. "Mr. Briefs?" she spoke quietly, looking around them to make sure no one was in earshot. "I don't remember what happened after you told me about Marron."

He laughed dryly. Of course she'd remember that.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Yes. "No, don't worry about it."

She couldn't help but feel guilty. The way he was speaking to her made it clear that he was angry. Her eyes fell to the floor and she bit her lip, not sure of what she should say to him. But the longer she took to think of something, the longer he smoked. Before she knew it, she was standing right in front of him. She still had no idea what to say; she had no memories of what happened after the drinking game that made him so upset, but she desperately wanted to stop him.

Pan could feel his eyes on her but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Instead, she looked to the side, feeling her cheeks warm as a blush emerged. "I'm sorry," she spoke shyly, forming shaky fists in her hands as struggled to make out her words. "Can you please stop smoking now… Trunks?" She'd almost whispered his name.

His mouth was slightly open in shock and he had to wonder if he just imagined hearing his name escaping from her lips. "Did you just…"

Her blush was deepening and she was squirming in her spot, obviously embarrassed. "Come on, I was drunk," she spoke, her voice wavering as she tried to sound put together. Then she looked at him, her long bangs covering her eyes partially which she was glad for. "Cut me some slack?"

He could tell she was giving it her all to apologize to him even though she had no idea why he was upset with her. Trunks gave her a small smile and turned to face the entrance back to the building. "Sure," he answered as he put an arm around her shoulders, walking her towards the door. "I'll forgive you."

* * *

AN: I know, this was short and you guys probably expected more since this update was delayed for two weeks. I was on vacation with my family but now I am back and ready to write! Thanks to everyone who posted a review :) and also to one particular person with the very kind private message!


	16. What Should I Do?

What Should I Do?

* * *

Everything seemed to be perfect. It was as if their dark past was just a nightmare and they've finally woken up. Every work day, they'd see each other at the office and have lunch together. On occasion, Trunks would drop by her place to visit and have dinner while they watched reruns of their favorite shows.

Pan had just gotten off work as she headed over to her apartment. Today, Trunks decided to stay at the office to finish up a few things but she was too sleepy to wait for him so they both agreed to hang out the next day instead. When she arrived at her apartment, she set her bag on the table and slumped down on the couch in exhaustion. She was just about to drift off into a deep sleep when all of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

She sprang up, startled. "Trunks?" she whispered to herself. She walked over to the door and opened it. "You know, you could've told me you were gonna come ton-" Her eyes widened and she couldn't continue.

"Hey, Pan."

It was such a casual greeting but she couldn't seem to respond. Her mouth was still slightly open from stopping in mid-sentence.

"I know I should've called or something but I wouldn't have known what to say to you."

She felt like she was dreaming. Had she fallen asleep on the couch?

"Actually, I still don't know what to say right now but I just… Can I come in?"

Without a word, she pulled the door open wider and stepped aside for him to enter her apartment. Then she slowly closed the door, her hands shaky as she let go of the doorknob. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before she turned around, prepared to speak. But before she could, she found herself in his arms as he embraced her longingly.

"I just couldn't stop thinking about you, Pan…"

His breath warmed the side of her head as he spoke in almost a mumble, breathing in her scent from her hair. "Brandon, I…"

"Can we talk this out? Please?"

He put his hands on her shoulder and stood back so that he could see her. Her eyes were filled with just confusion, nothing more, nothing less. "Yeah," she tried to say casually as she took a few steps backwards deeper into the room. "Let's sit down."

They spoke casually at first; catching up on what has happened between the time they broke off their relationship and the present time. Pan, of course, held back any information about Trunks, unsure of how to go about the topic. Eventually, their conversation went up to Brandon giving her a sad smile and expressing his deep regret of breaking up.

While he continued to explain his reasons for getting back together, Pan hugged her knees, bringing them closer to her chest as she cried, her tears absorbed by her black pants. She felt his hand on her back but the warmth of his touch didn't bring comfort to her. She'd never thought he would come back in her life. Back when they were together, his love was unrequited because of her hidden feelings for Trunks. While she and Trunks are just friends, it still felt very wrong to get back together with him, especially since they had a physical relationship for period of time.

"I made a mistake, Pan, and I'm sorry. Give me one reason why we can't start over."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Brandon sighed and with Pan at such an emotional state, he got up to answer it.

Pan was completely oblivious with everything, however. She'd only noticed that Brandon's uncomforting warmth had disappeared when he was inches away from the door.

When he opened the door, he couldn't believe who he saw: Capsule Corp's CEO himself. Their eyes met and for a moment, all they could do was stand in shock. While Brandon recognized the CEO, Trunks was completely clueless.

Trunks could feel strong tension building up and he could've sworn the other man was glaring at him. Clearing his throat, he scratched the back of his head in nervousness and gave a small chuckle. "Sorry, I think I'm at the wrong address," he apologized as he turned to go the other way.

"Trunks?"

He stopped. Her voice was soft but weak, as if she'd been crying. He turned his head to look past the glaring man, into the apartment and there she was, scrambling to get up from the couch to the door. He was about to beat the crap out of the man but then he saw her put a hand on his shoulder. Although he knew the guy was no stranger to her, his fists were still clenched. "Pan? What's going on? Are you okay?"

Pan wiped away her tears quickly and forced a smile. "I'm fine." She knew her answer wasn't convincing but she went on anyway. "Trunks, this is Brandon. He's my… ex-boyfriend."

Trunks gave her a small nod and brought his hand up, finding it hard to smile genuinely. "Nice to meet you, Brandon." He felt the other man grab his hand with a grip too hard for comfort and he raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously. "I wasn't aware you were still in contact with Pan."

Brandon crossed his arms once their handshake ended and without a smile, he raised his chin up slightly, as if looking him down. "You'll be seeing more of me, Trunks," he spoke coldly, matching the much more obvious glare he had.

The CEO smirked, catching on to the competitive vibe he created, stuffing his hands in his pant pocket. Before he could shoot him a witty comment, Pan interjected.

"Brandon, can we talk more about this another day? I'll give you a call."

Trunks could feel a smile tug at his lips and he looked away, covering it as best he could as he pretended to rub his mouth with his hand. He couldn't hide the smile in his eyes however, as Brandon took one last look at him before walking angrily away.

"So that's him, huh? He doesn't seem so-" he stopped before he could finish his sentence when he looked back to her flushed cheeks and her swollen eyes. He put a hand on her shoulder and she walked back to her apartment with him following, closing the door behind them. "What's going on, Pan?"

She walked to the kitchen counter and grabbed a cup, filling it with an instant coffee mix and hot water. He was watching her, she knew. She could feel his eyes filled with curiosity, sense his worry, yet he didn't rush her into answering. He just stood there, resting his arms on the counter, standing across from her. She held in a breath before responded, "He… Wants to get back together."

Was he supposed to be angry? Disappointed? Happy for her? He wasn't really sure but he was uncomfortable with what she'd just told him. "Oh," he blurted out unenthusiastically. He looked for more to say to add on to his lack of response but nothing came. "Umm…" Furrowing his eyebrows, he stared at the marble counter in frustration at his inability to come up with words. When he looked back up to her, she hadn't moved from her spot, her eyes still on her coffee. He wasn't sure if he should be thankful that she was too entranced by her thoughts to notice his speechlessness. When her vulnerable eyes locked on his, he couldn't look away.

"What should I do?"


	17. The Trigger

The Trigger

* * *

"Trunks?"

Her voice was gentle, waiting for him to give her an answer to guide her to do what was best for her. But he didn't know what she should do. The thought of advising her to try to work things out with her ex made him feel so angry that he could feel his Saiyan blood surging in his veins. He wanted to tell her to pretend like nothing happened and to not call Brandon because… Trunks shook his head and looked to the countertops again. He laughed at himself. Why couldn't he tell her to give it a chance with her ex? "Look Pan," he started, avoiding her gaze. "It's really none of my business whether or not you should get back together with that good-for-nothing low-life. Why do you expect me to tell you what to do? Are you going to do just whatever I say?" He bit his tongue for sounding like a jerk but he was just too angry and frustrated and he couldn't possibly tell her about his continuing battle in his head trying to sort out his feelings.

She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to fight the anger that she felt. She understood why Brandon would treat Trunks that way; it was actually her fault. She couldn't be mad at him and it wasn't Trunks's fault for being agitated either. Everything seemed to be her fault. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her anger disappearing. "Please don't be upset with me too."

He sighed. "No, you shouldn't be the one apologizing." He pushed his arm off the counter and made his way to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

His warmth comforted her and she felt guilty.

He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to ask, dreading her answer. But he had to. "Do you still have feelings for him?" He felt her body stiffen and he took that as a response to his question. She probably still felt something for Brandon which was why she was upset, he thought. Maybe she didn't want him to feel like he was in the way. "I think you know what you need to do then." He lifted his hand from her narrow shoulders and just as he was about to turn to leave, he felt her tug his business suit back.

She was on the verge of tears, he knew. Perhaps she felt that even if she went back with Brandon, it wouldn't change the fact that they had a history together. A pretty recent history filled with pure sex. "Trunks, I don't think I can-" she couldn't finish her sentence as a teardrop fell and she held in a breath, stopping the sobs that were escaping her throat.

He wiped her tears and pulled her to him in a warm embrace. His hand was firm against her head that was to his chest, as if protecting her. Her body trembled and his was firm and strong but inside, he felt broken. "You can do it, Pan. We shouldn't have… _I _shouldn't have touched you the way I did. Don't feel guilty for that. Let's just put it all in the past and forget about it like we have been." He forced a chuckle. "That's why we're friends again, right?" He held her like that for a while and while he was holding her to give her comfort, the fact that she was physically close to him actually comforted him as well. He didn't want to let go.

But eventually, he had to.

He stretched back his arms, creating distance between them and forced an encouraging smile, resisting the urge to pull her back to him. "I'm not going to let it stand in your way."

Pan couldn't correct him. She desperately wanted to but they'd just gotten their friendship back and she wasn't going to ruin it. All he wanted was their friendship, nothing more. Her lips quivered as she watched him leave, holding back the urge to call out his name for him to come back. She didn't want him to go but she didn't have the right to ask him to stay either.

He hesitated, his hand on the doorknob but before he could change his mind, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

He felt lost and his body was numb. He didn't realize he was out of the apartment complex until he felt the raindrops fall and soak into his business suit. All he had on his mind was her guilty expression that he felt responsible for. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He stopped for a moment, his body telling him to go back to her but his mind telling him to give her space. But maybe if he went back, they could talk things out and make the guilt go away. He turned, about to do just that when suddenly, he felt his jaw thrust to the side, the taste of his blood in his mouth.

He stumbled a little, taken by surprise. When he looked up to see who had attacked him, he met Brandon's glare. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into," Trunks threatened, feeling his blood boiling with rage.

"I know what you're up to. You were about to go back to her, weren't you? You think I'd just let you do that?" Brandon's voice was filled with anger - so much that it didn't make sense to him, considering they'd just met.

Trunks wiped the blood from his mouth and pushed his wet hair from his eyes. "What you did just now," Trunks spoke, ignoring the other man's words, "Was a lucky shot. Don't think you can stand a chance against me." He raised his fists, preparing for their fight. "And fortunately for me," he added, a smirk tugging his lips, "I just about needed this outlet."

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone ^^; I'm pleasantly surprised that many of you are still reading my stories! Although I'm not quite sure who are the ones who've recently stumbled across this story or who has been a long time follower, I'm very thankful for all of you for writing your reviews for my previous chapter. I would've written an authors note to greet everyone again after being MIA for such a long time but I wasn't sure if I'd even get feedback, let alone views. Anyway, as always, reviews are appreciated! P.S. I am _very very _determined to finish this story so you will see more updates. I am shooting for one chapter every Saturday!


	18. Interruptions Welcomed

Interruptions Welcomed

* * *

He could feel Brandon's trembling hands on his fist as he gripped his shirt, pulling the other man up and off the ground.

"What the hell are you?" Brandon mustered out as blood dripped from his mouth to his hands. As he felt his feet lift the ground, he gasped, trying hard to pull away from his hold on him.

Trunks knew he should stop. He could easily kill him right then and there but something held back his common sense. Perhaps it was the Saiyan side of him that was finally free and unwilling to subdue now that it had been triggered. It had been a long time since he used his powers, and it was really tempting to use it now that he had the chance to. The opportunity was now, and he knew he could end everything at this moment.

"Trunks!"

Then he realized what he was doing.

"Trunks, stop! You could kill him!"

He let go of the man, letting him drop to the ground as he blinked a few times, realizing he'd almost gone Saiyan. He could see the white aura sparking from his own body. He turned to the voice that had brought him back to reality.

Her heart was beating so fast and when she met his eyes, she saw Trunks's green eyes slowly change back to his familiar blue ones. "Trunks?" her voice wavered, frightened. She haven't seen this side of him for years, back when she was barely a teenager. And she'd never seen him use it on a mere human either. When he took a step towards her, she couldn't help but take a step back.

His eyes showed pain. But he wasn't surprised, considering he almost killed a man that she once had a relationship with. "Pan, I wouldn't hurt you," he almost whispered, the raindrops dropping loudly on the ground making it hard to hear if it had not been for their Saiyan hearing.

She hesitated, slowly walking toward them and when she was closer, she quickly checked on the unconscious, beaten man on the floor. She was relieved when he was still breathing. She lifted one of his arms up and over her head and carefully stood, crouching low so that he rested on her back. She could smell the blood seeping to her clothes and she tried to calm herself down, convincing herself that Trunks was back to normal again.

It was hard to see her caring for the other man but then again, he was seriously hurt. He offered to help but Pan shook her head and he had to guess that she either didn't trust him, or she simply didn't want any help. Both were equally valid reasons. He just followed her, following close behind as she made her way back to her apartment.

Once they arrived, she set the man down on her couch and Trunks closed the door behind them.

"Pan…"

"Can you grab me some cloth bandages and ointment?" She avoided eye contact with him as she grabbed a spare blanket from the closet. When he hadn't set out to find the items she asked for, she sighed. "Please, Trunks… You can explain to me later." She waited for him to leave to the restroom before she turned back to tend to Brandon, who hadn't regained consciousness yet.

It was past midnight already when she finished wrapping his wounds. Now that was done, she knew she had to face him_._ She stood up and met his apologetic gaze. Swallowing hard, she mustered up all the courage she had and motioned for him to follow her to her bedroom.

Trunks obliged, careful to walk slowly and quietly so as not to wake Brandon. When she closed the door behind them, he sighed. "I know this looks bad, Pan, but hear me out." He turned to look at her, expecting to meet her glare as she interrupted him, but she didn't. She wasn't even looking at him and it made him feel even more guilty. "Would you believe me if I told you?" He had to ask, his eyes slowly drawing down to the carpeted floor.

She was silent for a while but then he heard her soft voice. "Try me," she answered.

So he did. He explained to her that he was attacked first. He explained how he seemed to lose himself and that he didn't realize he had almost gone Saiyan until she stopped him. He even admitted that he probably would've if she hadn't come by and that he would have killed him if it hadn't been for her. "You saved him," he spoke, his voice hoarse, ashamed of his actions. "And... you also saved me."

It took her a moment for it all to sink in and when it did, she nodded. "Okay," she said simply.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"Of course not," she blurted out naturally before she even had a chance to think. Their eyes met and she fixated on the blue of his eyes.

Trunks seemed to know that it was just her typical answer. He couldn't help but give a small smile. "Alright, now that _'ol Panny's_ answer is out of the way, what's yours, Pan?"

She smiled too and the tension between them seemed to relax. She brought her arm up to graze against the dried blood on the corner of his lips and held back a giggle when one of his eyes threatened to shut as he winced. "Hold still," she murmured, removing the cap from the ointment and bringing her finger to his wound again.

Just as she finished and was about to put her hand back down, he grabbed her wrist, stepping closer to her. "Thank you," he breathed, his thumb sliding against her palm gently.

She could feel her cheeks warming up as she blushed, and she was thankful the light was turned off so that he couldn't see. "It's nothing," she said quietly, letting his touch tickle her palms and triggering the butterflies in her stomach.

"Not just for this," he continued, this time entwining their fingers together. "But also for believing me."

"Pan?"

They both stepped back and let go of each other's hands as they heard a weak voice from the living room. Slightly disappointed but at the same time relieved, Trunks opened the door for Pan as she stepped out of the bedroom to check up on Brandon. His heart was still racing as he watched the outline of her body in the dark and as she got to the living room, she was visible again when she turned on the lamp by the couch. He watched at a distance as she knelt beside the man and felt a pang when Brandon grabbed for her hand. Was it jealousy? He shook his head, even more grateful for the interruption. He couldn't be falling for her. Her heart belonged to someone else, he was sure.

He stepped back away from the door and sat at the edge of her bed. Sighing, he leaned down and laid there, trying to make out their conversation in the living room. His eyes closed, hoping it would make it easier to listen in on them. It wasn't like he was afraid of what they'd do; the man was barely alive. Brandon couldn't possibly pull moves on her even if he wanted to. Trunks couldn't help but smile at that and with his mind finally at ease, he let himself drift off to sleep.

* * *

AN: Another update, as promised ^^ It's really funny and enjoyable reading your reviews because I am exactly like you guys; I'm always torn between decisions and I'm like "noo why would you do that!" even though I made it happen... haha it's very complicated ^^! Anyway, thanks for continuing to read and support me, long-time-followers :) and as for the new ones, thanks for joining!


	19. Red

Red

* * *

The sun rays were shining through the window blinds, directly at him. As Trunks slowly awoke from his slumber, he let out a small groan and stretched his arms across the bed. His body felt constricted. The bed was softer than it usually is. His eyes sprang open and he realized he was in Pan's bedroom. Remembering what had happened just hours before, he looked to the door and noticed it was closed shut but where was Pan? He got up and as he did, a blanket fell to the floor with a soft thump. He picked it up and smiled, realizing that Pan must have come back to check up on him after tending to Brandon.

"Let's see," he mumbled to himself, lifting his suit from his body and grabbing a small box containing multiple capsules. When he found one labeled "toothbrush," he walked to the bathroom connected to the bedroom and then-

"Aah!" Pan let out a small shriek and just before he could let out a shout of surprise as well, she covered his mouth with her hands, pushing him against the bathroom door and causing it to shut. She was blushing and just as his eyes cast downwards to her half dressed body, she let go of his mouth and covered his eyes instead. She could see his lips curving to a smile and her face turned even more red.

"Pan?" he said, and even though she could see him smiling, she could actually _hear_ it from his voice as well.

"You didn't see anything, did you?" she sounded like she was actually pleading Kami that he didn't.

"Umm… All I see right now is the outlines of your fingers." He was about to grab her hands and lift them from his face but she resisted.

"Wait, close your eyes!"

He grinned.

"Trunks, promise me that when I let go, you'll have your eyes closed until I say it's okay."

Her hands pressed harder against his head that any harder, he'd likely feel a bruise at the back of his head form. Sometimes he forgets that she has Saiyan blood running through her veins also. It's something that they both share that makes him feel drawn to her. They understand each other unlike others could because of that. "Alright, Pan, you have my word," he promised, and as she let go, he felt her pressure release.

He could hear her shuffling her feet away and throwing her clothes on. It made him chuckle inside but he didn't dare embarrass her even more, otherwise she might actually try to beat the images out of his head. Literally. "You ready?" he asked when she seemed to stop frantically moving around.

"Y-yeah."

He opened his eyes and she was standing in front of him, her arms crossed against her chest, gripping her black sweater tightly with her fists. She was cute embarrassed, he concluded, smiling as he casually walked past her and to the sink to brush his teeth. While he continued to get ready, he could see from the reflection of the bathroom mirror her blushed cheeks, her arms still crossed across her chest as if still trying to cover herself up.

She just waited patiently, not wanting to leave the room because Brandon could wake up and if she was out there, he'd wonder why there were noises coming from her bedroom. She watched, from the corner of her eyes, him leaning down towards the sink to rinse his mouth of the toothpaste that were on his lips. And then they heard him.

"Pan, you in here?"

They looked at each other with wide eyes through the reflection of the mirror. Trunks had his hands on the sink faucet and was about to turn it off but Pan quickly lept and pushed his hands away, letting the water run down. "So it's harder to hear," she explained quietly to Trunks and then raising her voice toward the door, she answered, "I'm just in the bathroom getting ready!"

Trunks walked over to the bathroom door and turned the lock. As soon as he did, they heard the bedroom door open.

"I thought I heard you screaming earlier. I just wanted to check up on you and make sure everything's okay. Is everything alright?"

Trunks turned to look at Pan, who was running her hands though the water, making it sound like she was actually doing something. "Umm, yeah, I just… saw a spider, that's all! Sorry to wake you. You should get back on the couch, Brandon, you're still hurt! I'll meet you out there in a bit, okay?" Her heart was pounding loudly, afraid that somehow Brandon would know that Trunks was here.

"I think I might need a little help getting back. It took a while to even walk here since that asshole nearly killed me."

Pan looked to Trunks who seemed to be glaring right through the bathroom door, his arms crossed. With her wet hands, she flicked her fingers, causing the droplets of water to hit against his face. His eyes closed in surprise and he wiped the water with his sleeve, shaking his head at her once he finished. She stuck her tongue out at him in a _you-deserved-it_ fashion and turned the faucet off. "Okay, I'll be out in a minute," she said, wiping her hands on a towel. She walked towards the door and motioned him to stand against the wall.

Trunks rolled his eyes but did as he was told. As she proceeded for the bathroom door though, he grabbed her arm. "Come back when you get the chance," He whispered into her ears through her long, raven hair. He didn't pull back right away; he was taking his time, smelling her scent and taking it in.

She could feel herself blushing again and found herself nodding without even thinking. It made her think about what he said to her just last night. Would she just do whatever he told her to do? She shivered at that thought, remembering how angry he'd gotten and how startled she was when he'd almost turned Saiyan. But while she was slightly afraid of seeing him at that state again, she was also curious and almost turned on. It must be the quarter-Saiyan side of her that made her strangely intrigued in seeing that side of him again. Pushing those thoughts away, she swallowed hard and unlocked the bathroom door, quickly sliding through as she opened it.

"How are you feeling?" he heard her ask as she walked over to the other man. He could hear Brandon's feet slightly dragging along the carpeted floor as he started back to the living room with the help of Pan as he reassured her he was feeling better.

Trunks sighed in relief when their voices became distant and nearly inaudible. He slowly walked out of the bathroom and towards the bedroom door, hoping to get a peek of the two in the living room. Brandon was once again on the couch and it looked like Pan was making breakfast. His stomach growled and he put his hand to it, feeling it vibrate through his shirt. Then he made his way to her bed and laid there, waiting.

It seemed like hours were passing but the clock read only ten minutes had passed. He closed his eyes for a moment and after a while, he heard footsteps walking toward the bedroom. Trunks opened his eyes and sat up, flashing a smile when he caught the sight of Pan with a tray of scrambled eggs and pancakes.

"I'll need to go back in a minute," she spoke in a hushed voice as she handed him the tray of food. "I'll figure out how to get you out though, don't worry."

His eyes furrowed as he swallowed the food he just shoveled in his mouth. "And leave you here with him? I don't trust him for one minute, Pan. I'm staying right here until he leaves."

"Trunks, he's practically crippled right now. He can't do anything!"

He pointed a finger at her and nodded. "That's exactly my point. He's using that to his advantage, making you feel sorry for him so you'd get close to him. He's a guy Pan, and I know guys. They'll do whatever it takes. I'm staying." His decision was already made. He was determined to stay and there was nothing that would change his mind.

With her tongue in her cheek, she shook her head and put her weight to one leg. "You're ridiculous," she responded, but she was smiling as she watched him indulge in his breakfast, barely stopping to breathe. When he was finished, she took the tray back. "I should head back out again. I'll come back to check up on you when I can."

He stood up and walked her to the door, opening it wider for her. "Thanks for the breakfast, Pan. You're the best." She smiled at that, and just as she was about to walk out of the bedroom, she heard him add, "By the way, red looks good on you."

She looked down at her attire; she was just wearing a loose-fitting black sweater and jeans. Wait a minute… "Trunks, you said you didn't see anything earlier!" Her cheeks were flushing red again, probably for the third time in the morning and she was shooed out of her own bedroom with a grinning and pleased CEO pushing the door halfway closed.

* * *

AN: I hope you guys enjoyed that! I feel like this story is going to come to an end pretty soon, in about a few chapters. The final chapter always takes me a while to figure out so I may not be able to update weekly. I am picky about endings so I tend to make several drafts ^^! Anyway, thank you all for your kind reviews :) I guess I am a masochist during my writing process but I _am_ a TP fan so I hope that relieves some of any anxiety I may have put you guys through in my stories haha.. 3


	20. Desperately

Desperately

* * *

She hadn't come back for a while and he was getting curious. Sure, she'd slide a few snacks through the door but food wasn't going to distract him for the entire time Brandon was there. He could hear laughter coming from the living room and he frowned. What was so funny? He got up from the bed and made his way to the bedroom door, pushing it slowly open. Brandon sat on the couch, his attention toward the kitchen and soon, Pan appeared, walking in crutches, laughing along with him. Before he could stop himself, he stepped out into the hallway.

She seemed to sense him as her eyes glanced to his direction but she kept her composure. Trunks motioned for her but she was busy still laughing with the other man. Unbelievable. The crippled man was actually enjoying himself while Trunks was bored out of his mind. He decided to go for the kitchen. Swiftly, he made a quiet dash to his destination and hunched down enough so that he wasn't visible from the living room.

"So anyway," he heard Pan say in between her laughter. "That was how I got these crutches. I would like to give them to you now, Brandon. I feel so bad as it is and it would make me feel a lot better if you accepted them." She held the crutches in front of her and as he reached out for it, he also grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him. She caught herself with her hand on the top of the couch before she could fall on him.

Trunks was glaring at what he was seeing but he couldn't do anything. It was wrong to watch them like this but he couldn't go back to the bedroom now - not when Brandon was pulling moves on her. But what was he supposed to do? Stop them? He shook his head. It wasn't any of his business anyway though; if Pan wanted to get back together with Brandon, that was her decision. He didn't have a right to tell them not to get back together. What would be the reason being for that anyway? He wouldn't know how to answer.

"Do you think we could get back together? Pick things up from where we left off?" Brandon's voice was hoarse as he stared into her eyes, his hands brushing against her cheek. When she didn't answer right away, he slid his hands to the back of her neck, her soft hair sliding through his fingers. "Or am I still right about why you could never love me?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and it wasn't because she was enticed by his actions, but only because she was afraid he might say more about their breakup. She knew Trunks was in the kitchen, that he could hear everything they were saying. He couldn't find out that she really loved him, not now that their friendship was finally restored. It was unimaginable that they could go back to how they are now, especially considering they even slept together. That in mind, their friendship was pretty unorthodox but she valued it immensely and she knew he did too with all the effort he put in. She swallowed hard, praying to Kami that he wouldn't say more.

"Are you still in love with-"

She pressed her ups against his then.

Trunks had to look away.

When Pan pulled apart, her heart was beating so quickly she wondered if they could hear it. She was looking into a very satisfied man's eyes but hers didn't reflect the same. Instead, hers showed fear and guilt and she wondered if Brandon could tell. When she saw him smile after a moment, she knew he couldn't. Sometimes she was thankful that he was unable to read her but at the same time, it was another factor that stopped their relationship from progressing any further in their past. She gave a weak smile, albeit feigned, and then whispered, "You should probably get going."

He leaned to give her a small kiss on her lips again and then sighed as she pulled away but his smile still lingered. "You were always mysterious, weren't you? One minute I think we're getting closer and the next, you push me out the door." He stroked her cheek gently again and when she looked away, he gave another sigh. "Alright Pan, I'll go."

She pushed herself off of the couch and handed him the crutches, still trying to keep the smile on her face. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked weakly as he grabbed the crutches from her and pulled her into a hug.

"Count on it."

Their hug lasted for a moment, Pan counting the seconds in hopes that it wasn't too long that he'd think she wanted him to stay, but not too short that he'd think something was wrong. When she decided their embrace was long enough, she pulled away. "I'll walk you out," she offered, while putting a hand on his back for support. They walked across the living room and when they got to the door, he leaned in for another kiss but she unconsciously moved back. When she realized what she did, she apologized. "I don't feel too well. I might be catching a cold or something so I wouldn't want you to get it too." It was a terrible excuse but that was what she came up with in such a short amount of time.

Brandon nodded, giving her a disappointed smile but accepted her explanation. "You should stay inside then and get some rest, okay? I wouldn't want you to feel any worse."

Pan gave a small nod, feeling both guilty and relieved, a strange mix of emotions but understandable in her circumstance. She opened the door and watched Brandon leave, waving when he looked back to her. When he was out of sight, she closed the door and took a deep breath, preparing herself for her confrontation with Trunks.

* * *

A/N: Cringe-worthy moment, I know. Sorry guys! I couldn't make it that easy for them haha.. But no worries, it'll all be over soon :) Thanks for reading!


	21. Pretending

Pretending

* * *

Her initial thoughts to their confrontation was something more lighthearted, possibly with Trunks making fun of her lack of romanticism. At least, that's what would have probably happened had they lived in an alternate reality where their friendship never broke from the start. But now everything was different. She honestly didn't know what to expect. As she walked past the couch toward the kitchen, she realized her hands were trembling; she wasn't cold but she denied the cause to be from nervousness. There was nothing she should be nervous about. It was Trunks after all, and he-

Her heart skipped a beat when he stood up from behind the counter, their noses almost bumping, interrupting her thoughts.

"Sorry," he apologized softly, his eyes moving quickly from hers to the side. He then brushed past her and when he felt a hand on his wrist, he paused in his steps without turning around.

Why did she stop him like that? She didn't even know what to say to him. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came and she let go of him, holding her hand that had reached out to him as if to stop herself from doing it again.

He took another step but then he stopped again. For a moment he stood there, as if debating to turn around to say something and when he finally did, he put on a small smile on his face. "I'm glad things worked out for you, Pan. I'll see you at work tomorrow." He was about to leave it at that and walk out the door but was surprised to hear her speak, stopping once again.

"That's it?" She was surprised at herself as well. Her hands were still trembling and it was baffling to her; she didn't know why she would be so worked up so much that they would. "You're just going to leave like that?"

He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pocket, turning around to face her. "Well, what do you want me to do? Your boyfriend just left so do I really have the right to be here when it should probably be him?"

He was right. She cringed at the word "boyfriend" but she couldn't correct him now. If she did, he would question her actions earlier and he'd find out her secret. She couldn't say anything.

"Look Pan, you and I both know that I don't like the guy, and for good reason," he added, scoffing as he thought about their fight the night before. "But I don't want to be the bad guy here." He looked into her eyes this time, sincerity but also pain showing through his. "I've seen the other side of this in my past relationship and I don't want to be seen as the other guy getting in the way." He gave a rather sad laugh at that but continued. "I'm glad you're giving it another chance with him again and I hope things work out for you."

Her brows were furrowed in despondency but she didn't speak. Instead, she watched as he took his hands out of his pocket, nodded his head in closure, and headed out the door. Even when the door closed behind him, she didn't move from her spot. She waited there, hoping he might come back, smiling and laughing at his well-played joke. He never did and disappointed, she made her way to her bedroom, collapsing on her bed, contemplating on what exactly just happened. She didn't even realize she'd fallen asleep.

It has been about two weeks since they'd spoken like normal. Sure, they'd have small talk during work at the office but other than that, it was all just business. He'd smile at her when she arrived at the office and they were still on first-name basis but it just didn't feel the same anymore. They were still working closely together but both felt that it was almost like they were back at the beginning again; disconnected and yearning for more. And Pan just about had it. She looked at the clock that hung behind her: 4:00 p.m.

She stood up from her chair and grabbed her coat hanging beside the door, preparing herself to face him. He was on break and she would probably find him where he was the last time she looked for him during this time. She opened the doors and headed to rooftop access. He could have company, she thought, remembering her awkward encounter with Clarisse, but she made her way up anyway. Taking a deep breath in front of the door leading outside, she put her hands on the knob, gave it a twist, and pushed it open.

He was squatting beside a wall, cigarette in one hand. Too deep in thought, he hadn't even noticed her until she made her way beside him. "Pan." He sounded surprised and wondered if he should be worried, thinking she was seeking him because she came across business problems. He stood up and looked at the very determined woman in front of him.

She wrinkled her nose as she smelled the cigarette smoke and turned her head to the side to avoid it but she stood her front, her desire to resolve their issues indomitable. "I miss you," she found herself saying. When she did, she felt her body heat up, despite being outside, directly exposed to the cool breeze.

He seemed to smile at that and he tilted his head slightly. "Well, I'll be back at the office in about five minutes so-"

"No," she interrupted, shaking her head. "I don't mean _that_, Trunks, I mean _us_." She blushed as she realized how he could have interpreted that and attempted to correct herself, her words seeming to flow from her mouth very quickly. "I mean not _us_ but what we had together." She wanted to bite her tongue. Everything she was saying could be misinterpreted and now, she was embarrassed. "I just…"

He looked away to the tops of the buildings around them as she struggled to form her words and when she couldn't seem to continue, he looked to their feet, a look of discontent on his face and he responded slowly, "I don't think we could be that close anymore." He couldn't look at her as it pained him to say those words and if he looked at her broken expression caused from his reply, he didn't know if he could be firm with his position. He waited for her to give a disappointed "Oh," or something of that sort but was surprised when she didn't. Instead, he heard a barely audible "Why?" and he couldn't help but meet her eyes, questioning what he heard. When she didn't look away, he knew he didn't just imagine it. "Well," he started, but his mind drew a blank at that moment. He sighed and as his memory flashed to his relationship with Marron, he returned to his argument. "If we did, what would I be? An old friend? A friendly boss? Some _guy_ that just hangs around a lot?"

"No," she spoke, her heart beating quickly as she mustered up the courage she had left to stand her ground after feeling like she was rejected. "It'd just be Trunks and Pan." Her voice was innocently soft but at the same time, strangely solid as she felt that answer was sufficient.

He let out a small chuckle, reminiscing of their past together. But that feeling of warmth faded quickly when he was brought back to reality. "But it's different now; you, me, just everything."

"How so?" she was pushing him, fixed on receiving an answer that would either satisfy her or give her closure. Her heart was set on bringing him back in her life but he seemed so set on creating a distance between them that she needed to know why.

He wasn't hesitant to answer. "You've got Brandon, Pan, you don't need me."

"Yes I do."

His heart skipped a beat then and he couldn't find the words to say.

Pan couldn't dare to look at him but she fixated on the button of his shirt as she spoke. "I've been thinking about what you said to me that day you left my apartment. And… Well, you were right. But," her eyes rose slowly to his and she forced the next words out. "But we have nothing between us… So it's okay." She felt like she was lying but it should be true, she believed. She was technically with Brandon and there couldn't be anything going on between Trunks and herself.

Although he thought that he should be happy about what she just said, he felt disappointed but he didn't know why. "Yeah," he spoke, his reply strained. "You're right. There's nothing between us."

She nodded but she didn't smile at the fact that he was agreeing with her. "So that makes it okay." It was unconvincing, she knew, but she made herself believe in her justification and hoped he would do the same.

They just stood, looking at eachother for longer than they should be as they were _only friends_. Trunks was so set on leaving their close friendship since it pained him to be reminded of his past relationship but this was different, right? They had nothing to be ashamed of because their relationship was purely platonic, at least now it was. "I… guess it does," he heard himself saying, but they both didn't smile at their settlement.

She nodded, clasping her hands behind her back, feeling somewhat awkward for some reason. She cleared her throat and attempted to liven up their strangely dispirited mood as she forced a smile. "Game night at my house later?"

He couldn't help but smile from that and she felt relieved, her forced smile feeling more natural. "Why not," he replied, pushing himself from the wall as they walked back toward the door leading inside. While they headed to his office together, they both felt almost complete with each other's company but at the same time, a sense of guilt that was to be ignored. At least for now, anyway.

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A/N: Hey! It's been a while since I've updated.. I am terribly sorry for not posting as I've promised. I was hit with the stomach flu at such a terrible time and as I'm trying to catch up to study for finals, it is extremely tough to find time to continue writing. Thank you for being patient! I was thrilled to come back from my dead state to all your kind and funny reviews and I couldn't help but smile as I read all of them. Thanks again, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I had fun writing it!


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